KOCHI: The massive fire that broke out at Brahmapuram waste treatment plant on Tuesday afternoon was brought under control on Wednesday evening after 22 hours of efforts by the fire and rescue services officials.
Eleven fire tenders from 10 units, five high-pressure water pumps, eight earthmovers and water tankers were used to bring the blaze under control. While nearly 100 firefighters began efforts to douse the flame from Tuesday afternoon, they were forced to stop due to the bad light.
“We resumed the operations around 5am on Wednesday. The wind direction and scorching sun posed difficulty in containing the blaze. However, our efforts paid off. The situation is completely under control,” said a fire and rescue services official.
He said since the corporation had separated the plastic waste from the heap, a major tragedy was averted
The dense smoke that engulfed Brahmapuram and nearby areas caused immense hardships to several residents with many briefly developing respiratory difficulties, cough and irritation.
“I felt a little suffocated in the morning, but got better by noon,” said Satheesh, a Kakkanad resident. Though preliminary inquiry suggested that chemical reaction caused the fire, Mayor Soumini Jain termed the outbreak “mysterious.”
“The fire broke out at an area where CCTV camera was installed. There is some mystery behind the incident. The corporation secretary has filed a complaint before the district police chief to probe the matter,” she said.