Skopje, 11 September 2025 (MIA) — Samples will be taken from the leachate produced by Drisla — a toxic liquid that forms when rainwater or inherent moisture seeps through solid waste in a landfill — and tested in a lab to determine how dangerous it is, Protection and Rescue Directorate head Stojanche Angelov told a news conference Thursday.

Angelov was responding to a reporter asking about the danger the leachate poses to Skopje residents. 

"The public deserves an answer. All I know is we need a studious approach both to the Drisla landfill and the Vardarishte landfill," Angelov said, after noting that the leachate had been there for years and it was not a result of the ongoing landfill fire.

He said it was impossible to cover with soil all the piles of garbage at the landfill and prevent the leachate from flowing into the Vardar River, but he added that the government was seriously committed to tackling the Drisla and Vardarishte landfill problems and finding longer-term solutions after the local elections. 

Angelov said the newly elected Skopje mayor, with the support of the government, would be tasked with solving the problems together with Gazi Baba and Kisela Voda mayors and other competent ministries and institutions.

Speaking about the Drisla fire, he said he had visited the landfill earlier Thursday and he had seen the smoke billowing from the site. 

He said the initial efforts to extinguish the fire with water had not been successful because the smoke was generated by the biological decomposition and chemical oxidation at the landfill. 

In line with the national state of emergency amid ongoing wildfire risks, he said, firefighters were ordered to keep throwing dirt at the center of the landfill to smother the smoke.  

Also, Angelov added, an Air Tractor aerial firefighting aircraft had been sent to help put out the fire using fire-retardant foam. 

Speaking about the Vardarishte landfill fire, he said there were several hot spots still being monitored. He also said security guards from a socially responsible company were currently patrolling the landfil to deter tresspassing.

According to Angelov, both landfill fires were suspected to have been human-caused. He said charges had been filed against persons suspected of starting the blaze at the Vardarishte landfill while trying to burn insulation off scrap metal.

"We have fallen victim to several families who, in order to survive, are poisoning half of Skopje," Angelov said, adding that he had met with several landfill staff to discuss the problem.

The Vardarishte landfill fire broke out in July, engulfing an older building and spreading over a large area at the end of August. The Drisla landfill fire broke out Tuesday. mr/