The main fire was under control early in the morning. Precautions remain in force because of smoke in Bakar, Čavle, Kostrena, Sveti Kuzam and Draga, while air quality monitoring continues.
What happened in Kukuljanovo overnight
A fire broke out overnight on 24 September in a secondary-raw-materials warehouse operated by Metis in the Kukuljanovo industrial zone. Kostrena municipality says the report was received at 2:59 am and gives an initial estimate of about 1,000 square metres for the affected area.
According to the fire service, the main fire had been extinguished or contained by 4:46 am. That was not a complete all-clear: damping down, checks and measurements continued during the morning. The cause and extent of the damage had not initially been published.
The warning applies to five specifically named areas
At 4:43 am, the regional civil-protection authority sent an SRUUK warning for Bakar, Čavle and Kostrena, as well as the Rijeka neighbourhoods of Sveti Kuzam and Draga. The smoke had therefore moved beyond the immediate industrial zone.
This list is not a general warning for Rijeka, Krk or the whole Kvarner. Anyone outside the named areas should follow new official notices and the visible local situation rather than treating it as a blanket coastal warning.
What the PM10 reading of 100.8 means
The Martinšćica monitoring station recorded an hourly PM10 value of 100.8 micrograms per cubic metre at 6:00 am. That confirms elevated pollution at that specific station and time.
A single hourly reading is neither a daily average nor a map of the entire region. It cannot simply be compared with a limit defined over 24 hours. The Public Health Institute of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County is also following developments with mobile monitoring equipment.
Close windows and avoid drawing in outdoor air where possible
Windows and doors should remain closed in the affected areas. People should reduce time and physical exertion outdoors and avoid smoke that can be seen or smelled.
If a ventilation or air-conditioning system draws in outside air, the authorities advise switching it off where possible. Recirculation and outdoor-air intake are not the same; the specific system determines what action is appropriate.
Sensitive people should act sooner
Children, pregnant women, older people and those with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions should take particular care. They should avoid smoke consistently and not wait for another monitoring notice if symptoms develop.
Call 112 in the event of pronounced shortness of breath, severe symptoms or acute deterioration. General precautions do not replace individual medical assessment.
What remains unknown
At the editorial deadline, the cause of the fire, the amount of damage and the exact time when all damping-down work would end had not been officially established. A single early measurement cannot predict how conditions will develop later.
A reliable all-clear must therefore come from the fire service, civil protection or the public-health institute, not merely from a weaker smell of smoke or an image taken elsewhere.
How to keep checking the situation
The City of Rijeka and Kostrena municipality publish the local warnings. The Public Health Institute of Primorje-Gorski Kotar County is the key follow-up source for measurements and professional interpretation.
Anyone travelling between Rijeka, Bakar and Kostrena today should check those official pages again immediately before setting off. The advice may be narrowed, extended or lifted when new measurements become available.
Evidence
Sources & date
Sources support the facts. Planning notes and recommendations are Golden Beach editorial assessments.
- Zbog požara na Kukuljanovu upozorenje i za stanovnike DrageGrad Rijeka · 24. September 2026; geprüft 24. September 2026Brandort, Lokalisierung, Nachlöscharbeiten, SRUUK-Warngebiet und Verhaltensempfehlungen
- Požar u skladištu na Kukuljanovu, dim stigao i do KostreneOpćina Kostrena · 24. September 2026; geprüft 24. September 2026Zeitablauf, geschätzte Brandfläche, Warngebiet, Risikogruppen und PM10-Stundenwert in Martinšćica
- Požar na Kukuljanovu – praćenje kvalitete zrakaNastavni zavod za javno zdravstvo Primorsko-goranske županije · 24. September 2026; geprüft 24. September 2026laufende stationäre und mobile Überwachung der Luftqualität und gesundheitliche Vorsichtshinweise
