On the night of 20–21 June, a major fire broke out at the solid waste landfill site in Kryvyi Rih. As of the morning of 23 June, residents were still reporting a distinctive stench, as the smouldering pockets had not been fully extinguished. A criminal investigation has been launched into the breach of fire safety regulations.
EcoPolitiс has compiled information about the emergency for its readers.
Chronology of events
According to information from Ekospetstrans Ltd, published by the media outlet ‘Svoi’, the fire covered an area of approximately 500 m². As of Monday, loose materials had been spread over an area of around 1,000 m² of the landfill site.
Source: “Svoyi. Kryvyi Rih”
In the evening of June 22, Head of the City Defense Council Oleksandr Vilkul reported that efforts to eliminate the smoldering continued. About 15 pieces of heavy machinery were involved – from trucks to bulldozers. On Sunday, 3,000 m3 of clay were dumped on the site, and on Monday, another 5,000 m3 were planned to be added.
Due to the complexity of the facility and the large area of smoldering, at least a full day was required for complete elimination of the emergency, and that was considered the optimistic scenario.
As of the morning of June 23, “Svoyi” reported that although there was no heavy smoke, an unpleasant odor continued to spread in the city’s nearby districts.
The exact causes of the fire are still unknown and yet to be established. Preliminary assumptions suggest it could have been triggered by the fall of debris from a downed drone, the heat, or a human factor, such as a discarded cigarette butt.
Hazardous air
The fire at the landfill is associated with a sharp deterioration in air quality across the city. According to “Pershyi Kryvorizkyi” media outlet, it was reported that as of the morning of June 22, certain pollution indicators exceeded permissible levels by more than double.
According to AccuWeather, the air quality index reached 116 instead of a normal level of 50. The primary pollutant was fine particulate dust.
This level of pollution is hazardous to human health, so residents were advised to limit time outdoors and keep windows closed.
Accountability
Journalists learned that law enforcement agencies would take up the case. The Kryvyi Rih Central District Prosecutor's Office confirmed that a criminal investigation had been opened. The incident is being qualified under Article 270 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, “Violation of established fire or industrial safety requirements.”
A fire also occurred at a landfill in Ivano-Frankivsk region. As previously reported by EcoPolitic, the concentration of carbon monoxide at the epicenter of the blaze exceeded the permissible level by more than tenfold.
