On the afternoon of 20/7, authorities largely brought the fire under control. The Nghe An Urban Environment and Public Works Joint Stock Company, which manages the Nghi Yen landfill, is mobilizing personnel to water and cover smoldering areas with soil. This effort aims to extinguish remaining hotspots and reduce smoke emissions, with completion anticipated by 21/7.

Scene of the Nghi Yen landfill fire, afternoon 19/7. *Video: Hung Le*

According to the management unit, the fire erupted around 1:30 PM on 19/7 in landfill cell 4A, then spread to cell 4B, affecting an area of approximately 10,000 m2. The combination of scorching weather and many flammable materials within the waste, such as lighters, gas cylinders, and other explosive substances, is believed to have caused the blaze.

On-site teams deployed water trucks to suppress the flames. However, a sudden tornado-like vortex, accompanied by strong winds, emerged and swept embers to surrounding areas, including the protective pine forest located about 100 m from the landfill.

Approximately 400 individuals, including fire police, forest rangers, military personnel, self-defense militia, and local residents, were mobilized along with 6 specialized vehicles to combat the fire.

By approximately 9:00 PM that evening, the forest fire was contained. According to Hai Loc commune leaders, the blaze damaged about 1,3 ha of protective pine forest, aged 7-8 years. Beyond the undergrowth, many pine trees currently being tapped for resin face a risk of death due to scorch damage.

Protective pine forest about 100 m from Nghi Yen landfill ablaze, afternoon 19/7. *Photo: Duc Hung*

The Nghi Yen Solid Waste Treatment Complex is Nghe An's largest landfill, handling household waste from Vinh (former city) and neighboring localities like Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen, and Cua Lo (former). The landfill spans over 50 ha, comprising 8 cells, and has been operational since 2010, processing approximately 500 tons of waste daily.

Following the incident, waste reception at the landfill has been temporarily suspended. Authorities in several localities have advised residents to store waste within their homes, using lidded bins, and to avoid disposing of it in the environment.

Over the past three days, Nghe An has experienced a widespread heatwave with temperatures commonly ranging from 35-37 degrees Celsius. Throughout July, the province consistently issued warnings about dangerous and extremely dangerous forest fire risks.

Duc Hung