KOCHI: Nearly a year after the massive fire outbreak at Brahmapuram waste treatment plant, there was a similar incident on Tuesday when heaps of plastic waste dumped adjacent to the plant caught fire.
The fire, which started from the heaps of plastic around 3.15 pm, spread thick fumes around the area, triggering another round of panic among the residents.
Around 15 firefighting units from Thrikkakara, Pattimattom, Gandhinagar, Mattanchery, Tripunithura, Aluva and Club Road fire stations worked for nearly four hours to douse the fire.Apart from this, water tanker lorries and earth movers were also brought to the site to douse the flames.Though the preliminary inquiry suggested that a chemical reaction resulted in the fire, Fire and Rescue Services officers ruled out this. According to them, the fire that broke out is a man-made one.
“ This is not the first time that the Brahmapuram plant is witnessing such kind of fire. We had suggested the corporation officials keep a fire line, hydrant and also a ring road,” said A S Jogy, district fire officer.
“But it is sad to note that the situation is similar to last year. No lessons have been learned from it. Since the wind direction has started changing, thick fog will cover the city,” he said.
This is the first fire outbreak reported in Brahmapuram plant this year. Last year, as many as six fires were reported.Meanwhile, District Collector S Suhas said that arrangements have been made for watering the area throughout the night.
“There is no need to panic as the situation is under control. Sufficient fire and rescue officials have been deployed at the site. The district control room will also monitor the situation. A PCB team is also deployed to monitor the level of pollution in the city,” said the collector.