A week has passed since the big fire in the former factory "Treska" in Skopje, and we still do not understand what was burning there and how it caught fire. First we waited for the reports from the inspection of the Ministry of Interior, then now we are waiting for the Public Prosecutor's Office to interpret those reports, so maybe we will finally find out what happened - was the fire set or did the warehouses "burn" on their own to remind the authorities at the ecological landfill that has existed for years in the city center.

Now, on the one hand, everyone is engaged, meeting crisis headquarters, coordinating, agreeing on how to act, who and when will clean the space, but it seems that this work, as well as everything so far, will pass according to what - everything the forest shook, a mouse was born.

And there were mice there, rats as big as cats, say people who live nearby. And huge amounts of garbage left over from the former furniture factory. There was also a tank, supposedly full of oil, and it was left there. Mysteries! By the way, the now failed "Treska" also has a bankruptcy trustee. Has he ever been there? Did anyone even know before the fire what was happening in that area, which for several years was only talked about as a very attractive piece of building construction.

And so the fire broke out. Black smoke rose, unprecedented in the city, which caused serious concern to citizens about whether what is burning there could cause harm to health and the environment. One did not come out to warn people if they should react somehow, to protect themselves, if nothing else, at least to close the windows in their homes. They were busy "showing" how worried they were. The mayor of Centar, Goran Gerasimovski, said that he was entering there for the first time and that what he saw reminded him of Chernobyl. The mayor of Skopje, Danela Arsovska, while the fire was still smoldering around her, "closed" the investigation - there were indications that the fire was set, unknown people often wandered there.

Meanwhile, civil society organizations alerted and demanded answers. The most important question was, what was burning in "Treska" and whether it is dangerous for people and soil. Are there asbestos fibers in the air (because the roof of the factory was made of asbestos tiles), are there any other poisonous substances because paints, varnishes, sponges, tires were also burned there…

Gerasimovski and some experts said that asbestos does not burn. And indeed, it is used for fire protection. But the burning building lost half of its asbestos roof. It may not have burned, but it did. And he was damaged. And asbestos fibers are carcinogenic if inhaled and left in the air for up to three days.

However, Skopje residents can now be calm and not ask questions for which they will not receive answers. And so after a week the wind blows away everything that is harmful and poisonous from the air. The wind, which is the only salvation for any kind of pollution in Skopje.

The city, the municipalities, the environmental inspectors, the line ministry and all the other authorities, mentioned and unmentioned, should really take seriously the work and the solution of such ecological black spots in the city. And there are many. For example, let them enter the building of the former non-ferrous metal factory "Kuprum", which looks like a scene from a horror movie. And let them get to work until there is a catastrophe. As in other such abandoned buildings.

There is work in the city, there is. It's not just about paving streets and planting flowers. Because after something happens, investigations and sighs are in vain. In vain and meetings and statements and search for culprits afterwards. By the way, were there phone chargers in "Treska", or at least an extended switch?