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On Friday, in Kaunas, Petrašiūnai, a huge fire broke out: a pile of scrap metal burning at a company that destroys cars. The pungent smell of burning was felt throughout much of Kaunas. The environmental impact of the fire is being investigated by environmentalists who came to the scene together with the firefighters, and the circumstances by the police.
Great fire Petrašiūnų R. Kalantos str. broke out on Friday at lunch. As has already been written, a pile of scrap metal about 15 meters high and 40 square meters in area was burned. Part of the city was soon drowned in thick black smoke, and the pungent smell of burning was felt in other parts of the city.
A large number of fire brigades were working at the site: six fire trucks, a ladder for cars, and a car for staff. Firefighters extinguished the burned pile of scrap metal and auto parts on the Baltic Metal company territory within three hours. However, the finishing work continued for some time: what was burned was recorded and cooled with water so that the fire would not be reignited.
Environmentalists also rushed to the scene, but had to wait until firefighters finished their work, and then it was said that there were particles, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, etc. investigate.
Representatives of the Environmental Protection Agency told the portal kauno.diena.lt that their specialists had also gone to the scene of the fire and built equipment to record air pollution.
On Saturday, information surfaced that this huge fire was also in the sight of the Kaunas police.
“Material collected in accordance with the Penal Article – due to destruction or damage of property in a universally dangerous way,” reads the Kaunas Police daily summary of events. This crime is punishable by a fine or deprivation of liberty, arrest or imprisonment for up to five years.
The locals complained about the neighborhood
We remind you that the Baltic Metal company advertises on the Internet that it buys scrap metal from companies and individuals. And it also used lead-acid batteries and end-of-life vehicles.
The people who answered the company’s phones on the day of the fire told the kauno.diena.lt portal either they do not have time to speak, or they are not authorized to communicate with the media, and the director does not exist.
According to the portal, the company’s activities were denounced by locals a couple of months ago. Not only because of the noise it makes, but also, as suspected, because of an arbitrary surge at the site without an environmental impact assessment.
The Department of Environmental Protection clarified that after receiving the complaint, an unscheduled inspection of Baltic Metal was carried out in January-March. A warning was issued to the company for the identified area of the waste storage area that did not meet the conditions of the permit, and a fine of 300 euros was paid to its representative responsible for meeting those conditions. At the same time, he was instructed to ensure proper storage of waste in storage areas. And the infractions found have been eliminated.
The Kaunas Fire and Rescue Board, after reviewing its databases, stated that the address R. Kalantos str. 49 There have been as many as sixteen fires in the last fourteen years. However, the vast majority of them are related to other companies operating in this direction. Baltic Metal is only mentioned in the information about the February 2012 fire in the company building, when bitumen burned on a metal bed due to violation of fire safety requirements during welding work, and the July 2013 fire caused by careless human behavior when two cars were destroyed bodies.
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Contaminated water could flow from the fire pit to the Nemunas
But on Friday, the problems did not end with the fire alone. According to data from the Kaunas Board of the Department of Fire Protection and Rescue, on Friday around 3 pm there was a report that contaminated water was coming out of the rain gutter on Kombinato Street. It is suspected of flowing from a fire pit on R. Kalanta Street.
When firefighters arrived, they found that water with contaminants from oil was flowing into the Nemunas.
Five hood barriers were erected at the outlet and oil spots on the water surface were sprayed with an oil separator.
Photo from the Department of Environmental Protection.
Scientific warnings
Researchers from the Department of Environmental Technology at Kaunas University of Technology warn that smoke from burned plastics, lubricants and rubber is extremely dangerous to health.
According to the head of the department, Associate Professor Violeta Kaunelienė, they are rich in particles, soot, respiratory irritants, carcinogens and other chemicals that cause disease. Currently, winds of medium intensity (approximately 5 m / s) are blowing from the south-southeast in Kaunas, so the smoke is carried towards the Dainava district.
Until the fire in Petrašiūnai goes out, scientists advise residents of Dainava districts not to be outside and to keep the windows of the house closed. Currently, fairly frequent rains improve the situation by filtering pollutants from the city’s air.
Recommendations of the specialists of the Kaunas Department of the National Center of Public Health of the Ministry of Health in the conditions of greatest air pollution:
chemicals are extremely permeable and highly irritating to the respiratory tract, the mucosa of the eyes and the skin, so it is essential that these parts of the body are protected;
do not open vents, windows and doors while at home; close the windows properly while driving;
Assess your state of health. If you are not feeling well (see symptoms), contact your doctor immediately.
Symptoms of acute exposure to contaminants: Irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, dyspnoea, cough, decreased lung function (especially in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), increased susceptibility of the respiratory tract to respiratory infections (especially in children), exacerbation of inflammatory allergic reactions of the airways respiratory.
The air quality survey data is published on the website of the Environmental Protection Agency, the information is updated every business day.
Photo by Justina Lasauskaitė, readers, editorial.
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