There is a major fire underway in the Delca Energy plant, a company specialized in the recovery and recycling of plastic material located in Lugnano, a hamlet of the municipality of Vicopisano (Pisa). The alarm went off around 9.30 am, with the fire generating a column of smoke visible even from several kilometers away.
Two teams of the Fire Brigade immediately intervened on site with four fire engines and two pump tankers, later joined by other reinforcement vehicles from the commands of Lucca, Pistoia and Livorno. Fortunately, the fire did not cause any injuries: in the next few hours ARPA Tuscany will carry out ground sampling to check for any pollution of the soil and water.
For precautionary reasons, the employees of nearby companies, the entire industrial area and the school of Uliveto Terme and Cucigliana were evacuated.
The Municipality of Vicopisano, together with neighboring municipalities such as Calcinaia and Cascina, have published precautionary measures for citizens, waiting for the ARPA data to be made known: in particular, it has been recommended to keep windows closed, especially in the areas exposed to the column of smoke towards Pisa, to turn off air conditioners and ventilation systems that use air coming from outside and to limit outdoor activities.
To allow the firefighting operations to be carried out, the road system was also temporarily modified: the Municipal Police closed the transit of cars and vehicles on the Vicarese provincial road between Caprona and Lugnano, from the roundabout of the Bridge between Lugnano and Cascina, diverting traffic towards Vicopisano. Likewise, vehicles arriving in Caprona will find a blockade towards Uliveto Terme.
At the moment, the causes of the fire still remain fire: according to the testimonies of some employees, the possibility of spontaneous combustion of the plastic material is also being discussed among the hypotheses. The fire, however, is only affecting the warehouse part and not the production area.
The problem at the moment concerns the risk of collapse of the storage shed, due to the high temperatures generated by the flames. The situation remains under development.
