Massive Smoke Plume from Ub Landfill After Fire Localized

A significant plume of thick smoke billowed from a landfill near Ub, Serbia, on the morning of August 16, blanketing nearby homes and reducing visibility on the Ub-Belgrade road.

Saša Spasić, a municipal council member responsible for emergency situations in Ub, confirmed that a fire which escalated on the landfill the previous day had been localized. He assured that there is no immediate danger of the fire spreading to nearby houses, which are situated on the edge of the landfill. Traffic on the road to Belgrade was temporarily halted due to the fire but has since resumed.

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Yesterday, traffic towards Belgrade was stopped for a period due to the fire, but the situation is now under control. There is no danger of the fire engulfing the ten or so houses on the edge of the landfill or spreading further.

However, Spasić highlighted that the primary concern now is the dense smoke being spread by strong winds across the populated area. The smoke is so thick that it obscures nearby houses.

Seta Matić, an opposition councilor, noted that smoke had been observed at the landfill for the past two to three days before the fire intensified on Saturday. Currently, trucks are delivering soil and sand to the landfill to cover the smoldering waste and mitigate the smoke emission. The situation remains under control, but the environmental impact of the smoke is a significant concern for the local residents.

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The biggest danger now comes from the dense smoke, which continues to spread due to strong winds, as this is a populated area.