A fire broke out on Tuesday night at a Rome-based waste recycling facility in Via Salaria, producing a thick black cloud of toxic smoke.
Twelve fire brigade trucks were involved in the operation to contain and eventually put out the blaze.
Authorities subsequently visited the area to evaluate the environmental damage caused by the fire.
This is the column of toxic smoke coming from a waste treatment facility that caught fire this morning in Via Salaria, Rome. Citizens have been advised to close their windows shut and stay indoors. Rome is quite literally a dumpster fire. pic.twitter.com/pRJcHkiG6c
— Leonardo Carella (@leonardocarella) 11 декабря 2018 г.
It is still unclear what caused the fire; locals and netizens have speculated on the matter, suggesting it could have been purely accidental or a case of arson.
#Roma, il vasto incendio divampato all'alba in un deposito di rifiuti sulla via Salaria. Una lunga colonna di fumo tossico ha investito diversi quartieri della capitale arrivando fino sul centro città con l'odore acre della spazzatura bruciata pic.twitter.com/Z8Fj4bdE3s
— Tg2 (@tg2rai) 11 декабря 2018 г.
The incident provoked some critics to condemn the existing waste management policy in the city and issue a warning.
La gestione dei rifiuti a #Roma è al collasso e il rogo al Tmb di via Salaria ne è la riprova.
— Riccardo Magi (@riccardomagi) 11 декабря 2018 г.
La sindaca @virginiaraggi si impegni per dare alla Capitale un’impiantistica adeguata a chiudere il ciclo dei rifiuti, così come avviene nelle altre capitali europee. #TmbSalario pic.twitter.com/XOy1wgyQR8
The waste management system is collapsing in Rome and the fire incident at Via Salaria serves as a proof to this claim
