Consequences, Prevention and Extinction of Urban and Industrial Waste Landfill Fires

Abstract

Among the various types of fire, there are the ones affecting municipal solid waste (MSW), in case of fraudulent "not controlled" fire and the ones affecting industrial waste and materials. The number of rescue interventions to counteract these kinds of fires, carried out by fire services of the countries of the European Union, has substantially increased in recent years, especially in areas where the problem of MSW collection is most felt and where there is a greater presence of industrial plants.

Gas, fumes and vapors that develop during a fire may be responsible for considerable damage both on humans and the environment and, in most cases, mortality due to fire it is caused by the inhalation of these gases, that produce anoxia or toxicity and consequently biological damage. Furthermore, the uncontrolled burning of trash is a major source of pollutants, and it should receive more attention.

In this work, we describe two important experiments carried out on this theme, the first about the emission estimation of a fire in a warehouse of eco-bales and the second about the approximate measurement of pollution resulting from a fire in a tire dump.

In conclusion, landfill fires and their extinction is often framed in the conventional field, but in fact takes on particular characteristics, because of the material concerned and the possible environmental implications, so there is the need to draw up specific fire regulations to be applied to deposits and waste treatment plants and to establish specific operational procedures of fire extinction.