Major fire at the Dikmen-Güngör landfill: the region is shrouded in thick smoke

A major fire broke out at the main Taşkent-Güngör Solid Waste Disposal Facility (Taşkent-Güngör Katı Atık Düzenli Depolama Tesisi) in Northern Cyprus. According to reports from the scene, the fire at the landfill flared up again for an as yet undetermined reason. Massive columns of thick black smoke rising above the facility are visible for many kilometers and have caused serious panic and concern among residents of nearby settlements and Nicosia.

At present, the Police Press Office (Polis Basın Subaylığı) is refraining from making official statements regarding the exact causes of the renewed ignition. Nevertheless, the relevant authorities say that an оперативный штаб has been deployed at the scene, and fire crews, municipal teams, as well as heavy construction equipment are conducting a continuous, coordinated fight against the fire.

The situation is complicated by the nature of the burning site: deep-seated fires at landfill sites are extremely difficult to extinguish because of the release of flammable gases and require prolonged soaking and backfilling with soil. Work to localize the fire sources and prevent the flames from spreading to the adjacent forest belt at the foot of the Kyrenia mountain range continues in emergency mode.