CHENNAI: A fire broke out at the Greater Chennai Corporation’s dumpyard in Pallikaranai on Thursday morning, destroying heaps of garbage and several seized vehicles kept within the premises. Thick plumes of black smoke from the dumpyard engulfed parts of the city’s southern suburbs and disrupted traffic on key arterial roads.
The blaze erupted around 8.30 am in a section of the dumpyard where large quantities of recovered Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) waste — plastic and other combustible waste processed into fuel pellets — had been dumped. Fanned by strong winds, the flames spread rapidly, sending dense plumes of smoke into the sky and reducing visibility in surrounding areas. There were around 200 seized vehicles at the site, of which around 50 two-wheelers and several cars were destroyed in the fire.
Corporation officials said RDF waste is highly combustible and may have caught fire due to friction. Officials also suspect that the high ambient temperature might have been a contributing factor. The blaze, however, was contained before it could spread to a nearby baling unit, officials added. “We had water tankers on standby even before the fire tenders arrived, so we were able to respond immediately,” a corporation official said.
Residents of Madipakkam, Pallikaranai, Mylai Balaji Nagar, Perungudi and Thuraipakkam complained of breathing difficulties as smoke and the smell of burning waste spread across neighbourhoods. Traffic on the Tambaram-Velachery Road came to a near standstill, affecting bus commuters, auto passengers and two-wheeler riders. The Pallavaram-Thuraipakkam Radial Road also witnessed disruptions as smoke drifted across the busy stretch.Six fire tenders from Tambaram, Guindy, Velachery, Medavakkam and Adyar, along with water tankers from Chennai Metro Water, were pressed into service. After more than four hours of firefighting, personnel brought the blaze under control by afternoon.