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Pantelimon warehouse fire monitored by the RADO-Bucharest observatory of INOE 2000

On the evening of 23 September 2025, a large fire broke out at a warehouse in Sector 2 of Bucharest, on the former Antrefrig industrial platform in Pantelimon. At the time of the fire, the Bucharest area was under stable atmospheric conditions with light to moderate winds from the northeast and east, directing smoke towards the observatory. Smoke particles were distributed from ground level up to 400 m altitude.

Around 23:00, RADO-Bucharest instruments recorded:

  • Instantaneous PM1 mass concentrations about five times higher than on the previous day;

  • PM10 mass concentrations reaching up to 150 µg/m³.

The effects of the fire were detected approximately 8 km southwest of Bucharest by the high-precision instruments of the RADO-Bucharest station, which is part of the European research infrastructure ACTRIS (Aerosol, Clouds and Trace gases Research Infrastructure) and operated by the National Institute for Research and Development in Optoelectronics – INOE 2000.

This pollution event highlights the fact that local pollution sources can exert significant influence not only in their immediate surroundings but also at considerable distances from their origin.