On October 3, at around 3 pm, on the outskirts of Prilep, next to the railway line, a fire broke out that covered the city in thick black smoke for hours. According to initial information from the scene, piled-up textile waste, sponges and plastic were burning on the site of the former livestock market, near the area known as the Terminal. The smoke could be seen from almost every part of Prilep, and even from the road to Bitola.

Residents of the neighbourhood described unbearable air and a toxic smell and demanded urgent action from the authorities. Putting the fire out was difficult, as the hotspots were deep beneath the surface of the piled-up material, so the fire had to be covered with earth using construction machinery.

The public utility "Komunalec" had a different version. According to its statement, the fire broke out right after the Prilep - Bitola train passed, it affected "a small part, exclusively along the railway" of its works yard, and the fire was soon brought under full control. There is no danger whatsoever, they assured, nor can the fire threaten the platform for re-sorting the separated waste. And they added a request for citizens not to spread disinformation, fear and panic.

The cause has not yet been officially established. But the question the neighbours are asking isn't just how the fire started. More important is why, next to the railway, inside the city, there was so much piled-up textile and plastic waste that it could burn for hours. Residents say illegal dumps of industrial and textile waste have been springing up along this stretch for years.

"A small part" is a comforting phrase when seen from an office. When black smoke is coming in through the window, the number of square metres burned matters least. Who will clean up that waste before the next spark - and will anyone even ask where it came from?