– As part of the investigation into the fire at a waste storage facility in Osła, Bolesławiec County, which occurred on August 5, 2022, the Bolesławiec District Prosecutor’s Office brought charges against the plant manager – prosecutor Tomasz Czułowski, spokesperson for the Jelenia Góra Regional Prosecutor’s Office, reports.

He adds:

Mariusz U. was charged with unintentionally causing an incident that endangered the life and health of many people and property on a large scale, namely a fire. Between January and August 5, 2022, he caused waste weighing more than 28,000 tonnes to be accepted at the plant, while the plant’s maximum permissible capacity at any one time was only slightly more than 8,000 tonnes.

Moreover, investigators determined that the waste was stored “improperly, contrary to fire-safety requirements,” as a result of which it self-ignited in August last year and the fire spread across the storage area.

Mariusz U. did not plead guilty to the alleged offense, but submitted explanations. He faces between three months and as much as five years in prison.

The spokesperson adds: – The investigation is ongoing.

Let us recall. The Bolesławiec County Headquarters of the State Fire Service summarized the entire incident as follows:

On August 5, 2022, at approximately 6:00 p.m., a fire broke out at the plant in Osła, engulfing raw materials and products from waste processing stored over an area of approximately 2 hectares. The rapid development of the fire and the intensity of the burning required ten days of rescue and firefighting operations involving State Fire Service and volunteer fire service units from across Lower Silesia.
View photo: Firefighters’ operations in Osła View photo: Firefighters’ operations in Osła View photo: Firefighters’ operations in Osła

At the peak of the operation, up to 40 fire-service crews were deployed, including as many as six ladders and aerial platforms and six water tankers. The total staffing exceeded 100 State Fire Service and volunteer firefighters, who were subsequently replaced by successive shifts every 12 hours.

Bolesławiec firefighters said: – As the area of the fire and the intensity of the burning were gradually reduced, the number of personnel and resources was also reduced. Firefighters extinguished piles of waste by directing streams of water from ladders and aerial platforms, as well as from the ground, working with backhoe loaders that spread out the burning material.

The uniformed officers added:

The water supply was organized using the hydrant network in the industrial zone, fire-protection tanks at neighboring workplaces, and water transported from open reservoirs in Różyniec, Gromadka and Szczytnica. The prolonged operation, conducted partly in smoke-filled areas, required firefighters to work in breathing apparatus, which were refilled at the scene by specialized crews equipped with cylinder-filling compressors. In addition, crews from chemical rescue groups, alternating between Wrocław and Legnica, continuously monitored wind direction, the spread of smoke and concentrations of hazardous substances in the air, and identified possible locations and plants from which people might need to be evacuated.

They also added:

For the proper organization of the operation, involving central and regional reserve companies taking turns, an operations command post was also established using command and communications vehicles. Depending on the needs arising, coordination of the operation involved the Lower Silesian State Fire Service Provincial Commander and his deputies, operational groups from the State Fire Service Headquarters and the State Fire Service Provincial Headquarters in Wrocław, and the Bolesławiec County State Fire Service Commander, together with his deputy and an operational group from the County Headquarters. The police, working with a fire-investigation expert, are determining the circumstances and cause of the fire.

They also concluded:

Because of the large number of rescuers and the health hazards present, medical cover was provided by a medical transport team from St. Luke’s Hospital in Bolesławiec, followed by a medical rescue crew from the OSP JPR in Złotoryja. The firefighters’ operations were supported by the Police, which stopped traffic on roads adjacent to the plant, as well as by the Gromadka Municipality Office and Bolesławiec County authorities, which helped provide meals for the firefighters and other logistical support. Several workplaces from the LSSE – Osła area also assisted the firefighters by making their yards and water tanks available, helping provide meals and supplying protective masks.