KOCHI/MALAPPURAM: The state wilted on Saturday following two major fire incidents in Kochi and Malappuram, fortunately with no casualties being reported. While Kochi witnessed burning of tonnes of plastic waste till late in the night at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant, resulting in thick smoke engulfing many parts of the city, a paint godown was gutted at Thuvvakkad in Malappuram.
Efforts to douse
the flames at Brahmapuram will continue on Sunday as firefighters could not completely control the smoke emanating from the waste even after a day’s work. Ernakulam District Collector K Muhammed Y Safirulla said though the fire at Brahmapuram is under control the smoke persists.
“The smoke following the fire has come down to 25 per cent. From 7 am on Sunday, we will try to bring the smoke under control. The windows of the houses affected by the smoke should be kept open. Generators, motors and lights from other districts have been brought to Brahmapuram to fight the fire. Fire and Rescue Services units have been deployed in the area round the clock,” he said.
‘Heavy smoke hampers ops’
“We have been trying to douse the flames from 3.30 pm on Friday. But, some piles of waste are still burning. We have taken preventive measures to ensure the fire doesn’t spread further. As the fire engines are pumping water, heavy smoke is emanating from the burnt waste thereby slowing down the fire-extinguishing operation,” said a Fire and Rescue Services officer.
Meanwhile, in Malappuram, firefighters continued with their struggle to bring the blaze under control as hundreds of containers of paint and thinner exploded. Two lorries parked inside the premises were gutted in the blaze. Ten families were evacuated from the area as a precautionary measure. Officers have taken steps to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby areas or buildings. Locals who heard loud explosions from the godown around 3 pm on Saturday managed to run to safety.
The fire accidents reported in the state these days are mainly due to issues inside industrial units or due to poor handling of things, except in the case of the Mangalavanam fire outbreak, which can be attributed to the rising mercury level A Hemachandran, Fire and Rescue Services Director General
300 cars gutted in a fire that broke out in a parking lot within the Yelahanka Air Force Station premises in Bengaluru when thousands of visitors had thronged the air display viewing areas during the Aero India 2019.