Large quantities of solid municipal waste containing a variety of flammable substances, that are disposed of in sanitary and non-sanitary landfills and even illegal dump sites, usually entail a high risk of fire. The level of risk is increased by the presence of methane which is released by municipal waste decomposition. The number of landfill fires varies depending on the morphological composition of the waste, ignition sources, meteorological conditions, time of year, as well as fire protection measures. The paper describes the impact of flammable waste on landfill fires, as well as causes, frequency and procedures in preventing and extinguishing landfill fires.

This paper reviews the state of the “Bubanj” landfill near the City of Niš, Serbia, which has been used for 47 years and which is categorized as a non-sanitary landfill. We utilised the LandGEM 3.02 model, used for estimating landfill gas emission rates, to calculate the amount of landfill gases. Additionally, we measured the amount and composition of landfill gas in section S4 of the landfill from July 2014 to June 2015. We utilised the ALOHA software to estimate the fire-vulnerable zone. The results of our analysis show that the measured average methane emission is higher than the calculated emission. The difference between the measured average emission and calculated emission of methane is logical, as the measurements were performed in an active section, where methane emission higher than in inactive sections is to be expected. Based on the measured methane emissions during one year, we conclude that the methane emission drops as the ambient temperature drops. This paper showcases the state of the “Bubanj” landfill, which is highly unsatisfactory in terms of environmental and fire protection because of landfill gas generation.