Fires at waste facilities spark smoke plumes in Milan and Bolzano, Italy

A fire erupted at the recycling centre on Via Riccardo Lombardi in the western Milan suburb shortly after 11 a.m., producing a dense black plume visible for several kilometres. Six fire‑crews from the provincial command, the NBCR hazardous‑materials unit and ARPA Lombardia were deployed to extinguish the blaze and monitor air quality. No injuries were reported and the mayor of Cesano Boscone, Marco Pozza, advised residents to keep windows closed while authorities continued environmental checks.

Earlier, a separate fire broke out in the electrical section of the Bolzano waste‑to‑energy plant. The incident generated a dark smoke cloud over the city but did not affect the combustion chamber. Firefighters extinguished the flames without casualties. The plant remains offline until a damaged medium‑voltage transformer is replaced, and no restart date has been set. Waste inflow from Trentino has been temporarily halted, although other urban waste streams continue to be accepted.