RO-Alert issued as fire engulfs waste recycling plant near Sibiu

A large fire broke out on Thursday evening at a waste sorting and recycling facility in Șura Mică, near the Romanian city of Sibiu, prompting emergency services to send a RO-Alert warning to residents over heavy smoke, Digi24 and G4Media reported, citing the Sibiu Emergency Situations Inspectorate (ISU).

Firefighters who inspected the scene found the fire covering an area of about 700 square metres, ISU said, according to G4Media and Știrile ProTV. Crews were working to stop the fire spreading and to establish its exact extent, the inspectorate said, describing the operation as still under way on Thursday evening.

Because of the large amount of smoke produced, the RO-Alert warning was sent to residents of both Șura Mică and the city of Sibiu itself, ISU said. Emergency crews were first sent to the scene with three fire engines, a water tanker, a SMURD ambulance crew and a first-response vehicle, G4Media reported.

Reinforcements followed as the fire continued to burn, including another fire engine, a specialist hazardous-materials vehicle and two further fire engines along with a robotic firefighting vehicle from ISU Alba, according to G4Media and Adevărul. Because of the very large quantity of waste at the site, two more fire engines were later sent from ISU Brașov, Adevărul reported.

ISU said crews were continuing to work to prevent the fire spreading further into the surrounding area while they worked to bring the blaze fully under control. No casualties or injuries have been reported in connection with the fire. The material supplied does not give a cause for the blaze or say when the fire was fully extinguished.