The Nájera landfill, in La Rioja, remains under a narrow technical and environmental monitoring Following the recent fire at their facilities, and although the fire has been considered under control for several days, regional authorities have decided to reinforce monitoring with a drone equipped with a thermal camera to rule out any possible flare-ups.
This system, coordinated by the General Directorate of Natural Environment, combines the work of forest rangers, emergency services and heavy machinery from the company that manages the landfill itself. The goal is to go beyond the initial extinguishing and ensure that no active hotspots remain that could again compromise the safety of the area and the air quality in nearby municipalities.
Using a drone to detect fire hotspots
According to details provided by the Director General of Natural Environment, Ignacio Sáenz de Urturi, a specialized team of forest rangers will operate a drone equipped with a thermal camera This technology will be used to scan the perimeter and interior of the landfill. It allows for the identification of anomalous temperatures beneath the surface of the waste, something that would be very difficult to detect with the naked eye.
The idea is for the drone to fly over the area affected by the fire at different times of day. generating thermal maps that identify any remaining hotspots. These areas will then be treated with ground crews, either by removing debris or applying water and foam to cool any remaining hotspots.
These types of fires in landfills and waste management plants are often especially complicated because the fire can advance slowly. in deep layers of garbagefueled by a wide variety of materials. Hence the choice of a surveillance system based on aerial thermography, which has already proven effective in other environmental emergency scenarios.
Furthermore, the drone allows intervention teams to reduce their direct exposure to smoke and potential polluting emissions, since the first inspection The hottest areas are assessed from the air. Only once the problem area has been located do operators access it with appropriate machinery and protective equipment.
For now, the authorities in La Rioja emphasize that the fire remains under operational controlHowever, they insist that these types of incidents require a long monitoring phase in order to be able to declare them completely eradicated with guarantees.
Origin of the fire and initial emergency response
The fire at the Nájera landfill broke out on Thursday, April 9, around 17:33hThe incident occurred at approximately kilometer marker 1,100 of the LR-208 highway, within the municipality of Nájera. The alert was received at the SOS Rioja 112 Emergency Coordination Center, which immediately activated the response protocol.
From this center, the Firefighters from CEIS RiojaAlong with medical resources from the Rioja Health Service and the Red Cross, there was a possibility that the smoke could affect the population or the responding teams. At the same time, the Logroño City Council Fire Department, the Civil Guard, and the Local Police were notified to reinforce the operation in the area.
The initial priority was to contain the fire's spread within the landfill itself and prevent it from reaching adjacent agricultural and forest lands. In this type of facility, the presence of a wide variety of combustible materials necessitates the application of different firefighting strategies, combining large inflows of water, foam and earth movements to isolate the hotspots.
At the same time, continuous monitoring of the smoke plume and wind direction was organized to assess the potential impact on surrounding towns. Although the fire was brought under control within a few days, regional officials have emphasized that the work to fully extinguish and cool the area will continue for several more days.
In the current phase, the machinery of the company that manages the landfill continues to work under the direct supervision of the Government of La Rioja, which maintains an active monitoring and control device until the emergency is completely over.
Criticism of the landfill management and the institutional response
The fire has not only had operational and environmental consequences, but has also reignited the debate about the waste management model In La Rioja, two councilors from Nájera, Sergio Díez and Juan José Morgado Urquijo, have strongly criticized what happened, asserting that it is not an isolated accident, but rather evidence of a problem that has persisted for years without any truly effective measures being implemented.
According to these council members, the incident at the Nájera landfill highlights a waste treatment system that they consider clearly insufficient and potentially dangerous for the health of residents and the natural environment. Therefore, they are demanding an independent investigation and warn that they are not willing to let the incident be closed without holding those responsible accountable.
Friends of the Earth La Rioja has echoed this critical sentiment, interpreting the fire as a sign of... incapacity of the regional government to prevent these types of incidents at waste management facilities. The organization has even gone so far as to ask President Gonzalo Capellán to reconsider the continued tenure of the Minister of Agriculture, Noemí Manzanos, and the Director General, Ignacio Sáenz de Urturi, whom they accuse of poor management regarding environmental quality.
The environmental organization points out that in less than a year, several incidents have been recorded. two significant fires in the waste sector in the community: the first in a management company in Casalarreina (ASIDER ENVIROMENT), where according to complaints there is no record that exemplary subsequent measures have been adopted, and the second in the landfill of Nájera, which receives waste from other Spanish regions and even, they point out, from other countries.
According to Friends of the Earth, fires of this magnitude are not usually caused by natural causes, but are related, in their opinion, to negligence of the management companies or with failures in administrative controls and in the planning of these facilities. These accusations add to the public concern generated by the presence of waste from very diverse origins in the La Rioja region.
Concern for public health and providing information to citizens
Ecologists in Action has also expressed its discontent, focusing its criticism on the way the incident was communicated to the local population. The organization reproaches the Haro City Council and the Government of La Rioja for not providing clearer and earlier information about the potential risk linked to toxic gases and fumes originating from the fire at the Nájera landfill.
According to reports, outdoor activities were permitted without restrictions during the weekend following the start of the fire, which would have exposed residents of various municipalities to a possible inhalation of polluting smokeIn his opinion, a more cautious policy should have been adopted, issuing specific public health recommendations for as long as the plume of smoke remained in the area.
This type of incident fuels the demand for clearer protocols to inform the public in real time when fires occur at landfills or waste treatment plants, facilities where, due to the nature of the stored materials, the emission of potentially harmful compounds when burning is common. For environmental groups, this case highlights the need for strengthen transparency and communication institutional response to any significant environmental incident.
Meanwhile, emergency services and regional authorities are maintaining surveillance over the Nájera landfill, relying on drone technology with thermal cameras to completely extinguish a fire that has sparked intense debate about how waste is managed and how the population is protected in situations of environmental risk.
This entire monitoring system, which combines aerial resources, machinery, and the intervention of multiple agencies, aims to ensure that the fire does not reignite and, at the same time, serves as a reminder of the importance of having safe and well-controlled waste facilitiesas well as with agile information channels when such an emergency occurs.
