Gaza authorities called for help to extinguish a fire that started on Thursday in a landfill in the besieged Strip, Reuters news agency reported.

A large cloud of heavy smoke billowed into the sky as night fell, and there was a strong smell of burning rubbish across Gaza City, according to Reuters.

The Gaza Municipality said in a statement that the fire started “in the eastern part of a landfill in Juhr Al-Deek, south-east of Gaza City, for reasons that have yet to be confirmed.”

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“We fear the fire might spread across the landfill and result in an environmental catastrophe,” the statement added.

Local firefighters did not have the capacity to cope with the blaze, according to the statement, which called on international organizations to help put out the blaze, and for international pressure on Israel to lift a blockade to let equipment in.

(MEMO, PC)