Residents of a town in the Krasnodar region of southern Russia are expressing their distress over having to inhale toxic air from a landfill fire that has been burning for over a week, despite assurances from officials that it would be extinguished, according to local media reports on Monday.

The fire at the Simonovka landfill, located approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles) south of the resort town of Yeysk, started on August 25 and has escalated in recent days due to rising temperatures and strong winds.

Roman Bublik, head of the Yeysk district, stated that by Monday afternoon, municipal teams had managed to contain the open flames and were covering the smoldering waste with gravel and soil. However, he acknowledged that the fire had reignited after officials had previously claimed it was under control.

Exasperated residents posted videos on social media showing what seemed to be thick smoke over Yeysk, contradicting officials’ assertions that the haze was simply morning fog.

“There’s really nothing to breathe at all. No air conditioning, no fans, nothing is helping. Everything has infiltrated the apartment,” one local resident remarked to the media. “This isn’t fog; it’s smoke from the landfill.”

In response to the situation, local authorities have declared the highest level of fire hazard through Tuesday, prohibiting any outdoor burning.