Prilep landfill fire brought under control after train passes nearby

A fire broke out at a textile-waste landfill next to the railway on the outskirts of Prilep, North Macedonia, at around three in the afternoon on Saturday, and was brought fully under control within hours, public utility company Komunalec said. The company said the fire started just after a train on the Prilep-Bitola line had passed the site.

Thick black smoke rose over the city and surrounding neighbourhoods for hours, alarming residents, Macedonian outlet Fokus reported. The fire burned piled-up textile, sponge and plastic waste, producing toxic gases with a strong, unpleasant smell, Fokus said, and could be seen from most parts of Prilep as well as from the road toward Bitola.

Several fire engines from Prilep's territorial fire unit worked alongside Komunalec staff, who used tankers and construction machinery to fight the blaze, Makfax reported. Firefighting crews found it difficult to extinguish the textile waste because the hotspots burned deep beneath the surface of the pile, according to Fokus, and heavy machinery was expected to help cover the burned area with soil.

Only a small part of Komunalec's work yard next to the railway was affected, and officials said the fire posed no danger of spreading to the area used for sorting household waste. The cause of the fire has not yet been established, Makfax reported.