Fire in tire depot, toxic cloud in Battipaglia

High flames and black smoke. For Battipaglia, in the province of Salerno, today will be a day to forget, threatened by a toxic cloud caused by a large fire that broke out in the industrial area, inside a company that processes hazardous waste and old tires. The column of smoke was visible from other towns in the area. There are fears, however, that the ash could later fall on fields where fruit and vegetable crops are grown. Two schools in the area were also closed. ARPAC immediately installed monitoring stations. The mayor of the Piana del Sele municipality, Cecilia Francese, said that "the city is under siege" and that "the cost to my people is extremely high, and I am no longer willing to wait for who knows what." For Environment Minister Sergio Costa, this is "a war, and the victims are the citizens who have been suffering in that area for too long. When I met with the residents on August 24, I promised them that, if I were reappointed, I would immediately initiate a technical discussion. I discussed it with the general management and the technicians, and today we will begin convening a discussion with the mayors of the area, the Region, the presidents of the Province and Metropolitan City, and of course the Ministry." Numerous firefighter teams responded to the scene. They first worked to control the flames, then will determine the cause of the fire. This incident has sparked protests from residents and local administrators. The mayor, accompanied by several residents, wearing the tricolor sash, went to the Stir plant, which processes solid urban waste from much of the province of Salerno, requesting a meeting with representatives of the Region. She then asked the Prefect of Salerno to convene the Committee for Safety and Public Order. The reaction from farmers' trade organizations was also harsh. Coldiretti called it "a severe blow to the environment, but also to the economy and the image of the area," while the Presidency Committee of Confagricoltura Salerno met urgently this morning at the Battipaglia headquarters on Via Brodolini to decide on urgent measures to issue warnings and report the incident immediately to protect public health and the agricultural sector of the plain.