Brief fire at Brahmapuram dump yard triggers concern in Kochi

KOCHI:  The garbage heaps at Brahmapuram dump yard in Kochi caught fire again on Sunday, triggering panic among city residents. The fire, which was noticed around 4.30 pm, was quickly doused by two fire tenders stationed at the plant as a precautionary measure.

It was only 12 days ago that a major fire at the waste dump yard was doused after a weeks-long effort. The toxic smoke emanating out of the yard had enveloped Kochi for days, leading to a public outcry and a radical overhaul of the systems in place.

It was decided then that five fire tenders will be stationed at Brahmapuram to quell any further fires at the yard. This proved effective as the fire on Sunday was doused in a matter of minutes. However, smoke is still emanating from the garbage heap.

“The watchers who were on duty at the plant noticed the fire and informed the officials. Two fire tenders were pressed into action, and within 15 minutes, the situation was brought under control. Efforts are on to contain the smoke emanating from the garbage heaps.

We are monitoring the situation closely,” Ernakulam District Collector N S K Umesh said, adding that the Regional Fire Officer and the Sub Collector are also monitoring the situation. The fire broke out in sector 7 of the yard, the same place where the major fire broke out on March 2.

As per a preliminary report, smouldering is assumed to be the cause of the fire. “With temperatures soaring, chances of similar incidents are high,” the collector said but urged people not to panic. “We have already deployed fire watchers, home guards, fire and rescue officers, and a sufficient number of earthmovers to initiate action in case of any emergency. There is no need to panic,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Mayor M Anilkumar said that all the necessary measures had been taken to douse the fire at Brahmapuram in coordination with the district collector and Fire and Rescue officials. 

“At the site, there are five fire tenders to douse any fire, and more will be pressed into service if required. The fire is under control. We were able to douse the fire quickly with the help of fire officials stationed at the site,” the Mayor said.

Quick Action

• The fire, which was noticed around 4.30 pm, was quickly doused by two fire tenders stationed at the plant for a round-the-clock vigil
• Broke out in sector 7 of the yard, the same place where the major fire broke out on March 2
• Fire watchers, home guards, fire and rescue officers, and earthmovers were deployed in case of any emergency