Metis fire in Pula: police identify thermal reaction inside waste pile

The smoke warning has become an extinguishment update

According to the fire service, the fire at the Metis recycling site in Pula was fully extinguished on Saturday, 10 October, at 06:50. It had broken out on Friday evening around 18:40 and was contained at 21:45. Citing HINA and those responsible for the response, HRT reports that mixed waste, including plastic and wood, was burning.

One firefighter suffered minor injuries. After examination in hospital, he was able to be discharged home. Firefighters and Metis employees remained on site for a fire watch. Completion of the actual extinguishment and further monitoring of the site are two different phases of the same response.

Who is giving the all-clear

Mayor Peđa Grbin told HINA that, according to the competent county public health institute, air pollution was not at a level hazardous to health. HRT reports this assessment. Fire commander Ivica Rojnić also stated on Saturday morning that there was no longer any danger to residents.

This is a reported assessment by the responsible authorities. It is not the same as a complete series of measurements independently analysed by Golden Beach. Specific readings, measurement locations and changes over time are not available to this article as a separate laboratory report. We therefore do not make a blanket claim that the air is pollutant-free everywhere at all times.

The distinction is sufficient to understand the news: the city and fire service changed their assessment from the previous evening's warning situation. That new, attributed information belongs in the current update. Anyone sharing older images or warning texts should include their timestamp.

Do not share Friday's warning without its date

On Friday, people in Šijana, Veli Vrh and Štinjan in particular were asked to stay indoors and close windows because of the smoke. On Saturday morning, the city announced that the smoke danger had passed. The earlier precaution must therefore not be presented without a date as an unchanged current instruction.

Conversely, a general news article is not a personal medical assessment. Specific health complaints require professional assessment. New notices from the city, fire service and health authorities remain decisive if local conditions change; the final update described here does not refresh automatically.

Thermal reaction established, other circumstances unresolved

In an addition to its notice, Istrian police report a site inspection carried out jointly with an inspector for fire, explosion and weapons protection. They identify a thermal reaction inside a pile of unsorted waste as the cause of the fire. This addition was accessible when sources were checked again on 11 October; the page still bears the publication date 10 October.

There is therefore an officially identified fire mechanism. At the same time, police say they continue to clarify the circumstances. The short addition does not explain which substances or processes triggered the reaction or whether individual or corporate responsibility exists. No final attribution of blame can be drawn from it.

The location debate and response status are not the same

Grbin also referred to consideration of relocating the operation as part of spatial planning. A political intention concerning the site is not a completed move. The reported comment alone establishes neither a binding opening date at a new location nor an immediate closure of the existing site.

Two different tasks therefore remain after the fire: the authorities must investigate the specific incident, while the city must transparently plan any long-term decisions about the location. Keeping these levels separate makes clear both the significance of the current all-clear and the questions it has not yet answered.