Skopje, 11 September 2025 (MIA) — The rain has not helped put out the Drisla landfill fire and firefighting efforts are focused on throwing dirt at the center of the fire to smother the flames, Protection and Rescue Directorate head Stojanche Angelov said Thursday ahead of a press conference at noon.

The piles of garbage on fire have sent clouds of toxic smoke into parts of the city over the past two days. Angelov said tons of water had been dropped on the landfill but did not put out the fire.

Angelov also voiced suspicions of arson, saying that there had been no spontaneous combustion at Drisla in the heat of summer. "Yet now when night temperatures are lower than in July, there was 'a spontaneous combustion' at this landfill," he said Wednesday.

The Drisla landfill fire broke out at 3:15 pm Tuesday. The Skopje Fire Department has been battling the flames, which are not near any woods or neighborhoods, the CMC said. mr/