Story By: Juan Fenandez Mayes, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Newsflash
This is the moment firefighting aircraft dump water on a fire at an Italian waste plant believed to contain toxic waste that poses a significant health risk to fireman with its toxic fumes.
The images were recorded in the town of Fiasco Baldaia in the Squillace municipality in the Calabria region located in the macroregion of Southern Italy.
Authorities were alerted about the fire occurring at the waste management plant ‘Eco-Management’ yesterday (Monday) afternoon.
The plant manages municipal solid waste such as plastics, paper and aluminium, which raised concerns over the environmental and health impact from the fumes.
The blaze continued to burn through the night and according to a statement released by the Italian Emergency Central Service today (Tuesday) they now have the “flames under control” and also managed to keep it away from buildings.
One of the videos shows the moment a firefighting aeroplane dumps a load of water over the large fire which is emitting black clouds of smoke.
It is closely followed by a second craft which arrives seconds later and drops its load over the fire, which is seemingly unaffected.
Another video shows the moment firefighters aim a firehouse at the blaze and shows the devastation in the area. It then cuts to show several firetrucks.
The video ends showing an incredible view of the inferno which continues to burn in the area as the flames and ember appear almost like a sea of molten lava.
A firefighter was injured in the operation, and suffered a fracture on his lower left limb, but is not reported to be in danger.
The main concern for authorities now is to assess the potential environmental and health impacts from the incident given the fumes and debris are presumably toxic.
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