Large fire at Naples industrial warehouse on via Brin sends smoke over city

How the fire started and spread

A large fire broke out at a warehouse on via Brin in eastern Naples early on Friday, 16 October, around 6:00 according to Fanpage. Flames first reached the King car park, where a street sweeper parked there was initially involved, before spreading to a storage unit holding Chinese goods. Sources differ on the district, with some placing the site in San Giovanni a Teduccio and others in Gianturco. Fanpage put the affected area at about 2,000 square metres, covering several warehouses that hold Chinese merchandise. According to Rai News, the blaze appeared fairly complex to bring under control, and its causes are still under investigation.

Firefighting and emergency response

Firefighters from the Naples command deployed four squads, three water tankers and two aerial ladders to put out the flames. Carabinieri from the Nucleo Radiomobile di Napoli were called in by the operations centre, while local police handled traffic in the area. The Prefecture activated its Centro Coordinamento Soccorsi, the emergency coordination centre. Fanpage named Giuseppe Paduano as the commander leading the crews on the scene. One house was evacuated after smoke filled it. According to the carabinieri, no injuries were recorded.

Smoke and air quality

A dense column of black smoke rose over the city and was visible from several kilometres away, reaching much of the Gulf of Naples according to Fanpage. Fanpage noted that the smoke spread across the city within minutes. Wind carried the fumes toward the coast, and a strong acrid smell was reported in central Naples, Chiaia, Posillipo and the Vomero. The regional environmental agency Arpac deployed mobile monitoring units to measure emissions of pollutants such as dioxins and furans. The municipality asked residents and workers in the area to avoid staying outdoors for long periods, including on balconies and terraces, and not to watch the cloud even from a distance. Residents were also told to close doors, windows and shutters.

What burned and what is still unknown

Fanpage reported, based on information it obtained, that firefighters had confirmed the burning of plastic materials, shoes, glue and street sweepers owned by an outside firm working under contract for Asìa. The urban waste company Asìa is not involved in any way, according to the same report. At the time of the latest reports, crews were still working to extinguish the flames, and investigators had not established the cause. Arpac monitoring results were not yet reported in the sources. The municipality framed its instructions as precautions to stay in force until the emergency ends.