Chorzów notifies prosecutors over PreZero waste site after environmental audit

Referral to prosecutors

The mayor of Chorzów, Szymon Michałek, notified prosecutors on 2 October 2026 regarding operations at a waste management facility on Kluczborska Street. The legal step follows the review of an inspection report by the Voivodeship Environmental Protection Inspectorate (WIOŚ) in Katowice. Local authorities seek to establish whether multiple regulatory violations discovered at the facility contributed to a blaze that broke out on the site earlier in the year.

We will not prejudge anything in this case, but we will also not leave it unexplained. That is what the relevant bodies are for. Our main task is the safety of residents. We need to get the full picture of the situation on Kluczborska Street.

Findings of the environmental inspection

The WIOŚ intervention at the site concluded on 4 September 2026 after extensive reviews of operational compliance and environmental permits. Inspectors documented multiple irregularities in how waste was handled and logged at the plant, which is operated by PreZero Service Południe. The facility processes municipal waste into alternative fuels.

Inspectors established that waste was stored without proper segregation, lacked designated storage zones, and was placed in areas not approved for waste accumulation. The report noted an absence of required waste code markings on storage areas. In addition, the inspection determined that the facility exceeded authorized processing volume limits across two installations. Official waste management records kept throughout 2026 did not match physical stockpiles on site, with discrepancies recorded in the total volume stored simultaneously.

The June waste fire

The regulatory review was initiated following an emergency on 24 June 2026, when a fire ignited across piles of bulky waste reaching heights of up to 10 meters. The fire burned across an area of approximately 6,000 square meters, sending dense plumes of dark smoke visible across surrounding cities in the Silesian region.

Extinguishing operations lasted six days, officially concluding on 29 June 2026. At the peak of the response, approximately 200 firefighters from 60 regional fire brigade crews operated at the site to contain the flames and douse smoldering heaps. During the incident, local residents in nearby districts faced air pollution and foul odors. Szymon Michałek established a coordination team immediately after fire crews extinguished the flames, while formally requesting an urgent audit from regional environmental authorities and the Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship.

Next legal and administrative steps

The referral to prosecutors asks law enforcement to investigate potential offenses related to creating a threat to human life, health, or the environment. PreZero Service Południe stated that it holds the formal status of an injured party in the ongoing prosecutorial investigation concerning the origin of the blaze.

The municipal government noted that inspection findings alone do not establish direct causation for the fire. In response to the identified violations, WIOŚ in Katowice announced that it will issue post-inspection directives to PreZero Service Południe and launch formal administrative proceedings to impose financial penalties on the company.