20160817 India After 30-hr struggle, fire put out at Vellalore dumpyard
India Aug 16 2016 “Other”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
After 30-hr struggle, fire put out at Vellalore dumpyard
Updated: 2016-08-17-07:34
Fire and rescue services personnel finally put out the fire at the Vellalore dumpyard on Tuesday evening after a 30-hour struggle. Mounds of dry waste spread across 20 acres was burnt down to ashes. The entire locality was clouded with thick smoke as fire raged through the day and night spreading from one mound to another, aided by strong winds.
Corporation officials in charge at the dumpyard said it was difficult to put out the fire due to the strong wind velocity since Monday. “The fire spread rapidly. Moreover, the water tankers had to be re-filled and garbage had to be excavated from the bottom to ensure the fire was put out. The thick smoke also hindered rescue operations,” said an official. By Monday night, only 10 acres of fire was put out. “We worked on the remaining 10 acres on Tuesday. By evening, we were successful in putting out the fire,” he said.
Though there were no human casualties or injuries, some animals have been injured and some snakes have died at the yard. Fifty workers have been working at the yard since Monday to put out the fire.
“Five fire tenders, 15 water lorries and two poclains (hydraulic excavators) are still at work,” said an officer.
On Tuesday, around 170 DMK cadres staged a protest and a road block at the dump yard. The cadres demanded the shifting of the dumpyard to another location and an effective solid waste management system. Kurichi Prabhakaran of DMK said the corporation should shift the dumpyard out of Vellalore immediately and come up with an effective solid waste management system. “This is not the first time that a fire incident has been reported at the dumpyard. As per norms, the corporation should have stationed two fire tenders and ensured the borewell connections were in place in cases of emergencies. But none of these rules were followed,” he said.
Web Source: THE TIMES OF INDIA
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/After-30-hr-struggle-fire-put-out-at-Vellalore-dumpyard/articleshow/53732827.cms