The Fire Investigation Centre has concluded that our company complied with all fire safety and equipment operation requirements. This means that we are not responsible for the fire that broke out at the Vilnius regional mixed municipal waste sorting facility at the end of April last year.
“Experts confirmed that we operated the facility in full compliance with all requirements – the building’s electrical systems and all equipment were in proper technical condition and did not cause the fire,” says Algirdas Blazgys, Director of our company.
According to the Fire Investigation Centre, the fire was caused by spontaneous ignition – it could have been a lithium-ion battery that ignited. The fire may also have been caused by another ignited waste item or object. The seat of the fire was identified in the shaft for sorted unsuitable waste.
This conclusion was reached after inspecting the building following the fire, analysing CCTV footage, and interviewing employees.
“As we thought from the beginning, the fire was caused by an item improperly disposed of with the waste. However, determining whether this item was discarded intentionally or accidentally, whether it ignited on its own or was ‘triggered’ by other factors, is extremely difficult. We believe that law enforcement is making every effort to find out,” adds A. Blazgys.
The Fire Investigation Centre’s findings are one of several expert assessments being conducted to determine the cause of the fire and identify those responsible.
The fire at the waste sorting facility was extinguished on 28 April last year. The Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office has formed an inter-institutional task force to investigate the causes of the incident.
In the spring and early summer of last year, around 20 fires broke out at various waste sorting facilities across Lithuania. Such a high number of incidents within a short period exceeded the usual level for the waste management sector and raised suspicions of possible sabotage.
After several months, the wave of fires in the waste sector subsided, and this year, only isolated incidents have been recorded, which are typical for waste management operations.
Renovation works are already underway at the Vilnius mixed waste sorting facility. Structural elements in the affected part of the plant have been restored, and new façade elements are being installed. Our company is investing EUR 2 million in rebuilding the building.
Last year, 202 thousand tonnes of mixed municipal waste were sorted at the plant. The majority of the waste (93%) was recovered – recyclable materials were sent for recycling, SRF (solid recovered fuel) produced from waste was delivered to a cement plant, and other waste was used as fuel at the Vilnius cogeneration plant.
The Vilnius MBA (Mechanical Biological Treatment) facility was built more than 10 years ago. It processes municipal waste from the entire Vilnius region, which includes eight municipalities: the city of Vilnius and the districts of Vilnius, Trakai, Elektrėnai, Ukmergė, Švenčionys, Šalčininkai, and Širvintos.