Firefighters battle blaze at recycling plant for two days
08 November 2023
After more than two days of dedicated effort, firefighters have at last extinguished a blaze that broke out at a steel and iron recycling facility and scrap yard in Elbasan, Albania.
IMAGE: (c) 2023 Thomson Reuters
The fire at the Kurum International Elbasan facility is reported to have broken out at around 11.00am on Monday, November 6 (2023).
While not yet confirmed, officials from the Turkey-headquartered steelmaking company say the fire is believed to have been triggered by an old battery that was dumped at a scrap waste landfill near the factory.
Firefighters on the scene used the scrap yards own material handlers to help extinguish the fire, which had caused plumes of polluted smoke from the metals, plastics and other materials on site to engulfed the central area of the city of Elbasan.
Kurum said the fire was an unfortunate accident. The company has been facing criticism for years from environmentalists for dumping toxic waste into the water and air. The factory denies any wrongdoing.
Video courtesy: (c) 2023 Thomson Reuters
Production: Florion Goga, Hedy Beloucif, Fatos Bytyci
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