Fire in Mezzocammino, fire in junkyard-turned-garage: black smoke in neighborhood

First flames, then a column of black smoke rose into the sky encircling the Mesocamino and part of the quadrangle surrounding that part of Rome. A fire broke out in the early hours of today, Sunday 31 December, in Largo Jacovitti near Viale Gianluigi Bonelli. A strong stench woke up residents.

Three teams of firefighters, local police and state police were on the scene. 40 families were evacuated as a precaution. The cause of the fire is currently unknown. Combustible waste materials, furniture, paints, solvents, electrical wires, plastic, bags of unknown contents.

There, for more than ten years, one of the squares in the 9th Municipal District has been an illegal dumping ground, but despite one seizure in 2015 and the most recent one in 2023, there is no solution on the horizon.

Intervention of firefighters

Now that the fire has spread, the fire brigade has evacuated the entire building for safety reasons. “For extinguishing, in addition to water, to avoid spreading to the upper floors, foam is used. – they explained via Genoa – and the support of the regional administration has been requested for the water supply and the local crisis unit. For the management of the evacuated families.

The Largo Jacobite Affair

The story of Largo Jacoviti is unique and has recently resurfaced, but as evidenced by recent protests by residents, the landfill site has not been removed. The news of the fire immediately animated the neighborhood group of Torrino Mezzocammino: “We hope that the intervention of the firefighters will help speed up the removal of those occupied premises. I feel sorry for those who live there and breathe what knows” , Andrea writes.

According to residents there, on the other hand, it is “only a matter of time”. “This is the result of more than a decade of complaints, studies and a series of articles and press releases about the risks of the declared catastrophe. – Underlines Gino, another resident of the neighborhood – my solidarity with the people who live and work in that square. After so much degradation, the shameful inability of all institutions to protect us and enforce the laws Today they too have to suffer from the toxic fumes that are produced. Still placing the blame solely on the producer is simply ludicrous and hurts everyone's intelligence”.