Overview
- LMBV activated the temporary firefighting water pipeline on Friday, October 16, 2026, drawing water from a mining residual pit about four kilometres from the Rusendorf site to boost volume and pressure.
- The visible burn area has shrunk from about eight hectares to roughly two hectares and smoke is now mostly limited to point sources, according to drone flights and company updates.
- Crews will use the increased water supply to expand subsurface tactics already in place, including sprinkler rings fed from the remote pit and targeted water injection with fire lances after earlier helicopter drops proved ineffective.
- Air-quality monitoring has run at five locations since early September with results still pending and additional measurement containers planned for nearby villages to track gases such as sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide.
- Officials say active cooling and extinguishing will continue through the end of the year, followed by a planned two-metre earth cover and load-bearing tests in late 2026 or early 2027, while full site stabilization may take years due to legacy brown-coal residues from past ash pumping.