Entirely putting out the fire, one of several to have happened nationwide following the recent warm, dry spell is likely to take a couple more days at least.

Local residents near the garbage facility operated by Uikala Prügila AS in the village of Kukruse, are still advised to stay indoors, due to the toxic smoke emanating from the blaze.

The fire started Wednesday night and saw fire crews from a wide surrounding areas on scene to tackle the conflagration, which they did through the night.

By morning, 50 firefighters were involved in the effort, and had managed to contain the fire by midday.

Fires have in fact broken out at the Uikala landfill seven times in the past six months.

As of Thursday afternoon, chief of operations Heigo Olu said that the situation remained difficult, with the landfill site still smoldering, over a 4.2-hectare zone.

Firefighters were hampered by obstacles such as the distance of the water source being used to fight the blaze – via hosepipes 5 kilometers and 2 kilometers in length – and the landfill heaps themselves, some of which are around 30 meters high.

"Additionally, helicopter assistance will be crucial in areas where the smoke prevents firefighters from working safely," Olu added.

When the fire will be declared extinguished and operations end is hard to forecast, Olu said, adding it is unlikely to be within the next 48 hours from the time of writing.

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