Fire at dump yard hits normal life in Tiruchy

The residents complained of suffocation and also claimed that the carbon monoxide that emanated from the huge garbage mound forced them be inside their houses with doors and windows shut. The smoke from the fire also deterred the movement of motorists in the locality.

Initially, the fire broke out in the garbage spread across 15 acres that was nearly 30 feet in height. It the slowly spread across the entire area. A few residents, who noticed the smoke emanating from the dump yard, immediately alerted the fire department.

Though there dump yard has seen minor fires before, some residents claimed that this was one of the major fires in the past decade. As the dump yard is situated in the residential area of Ariyamangalam on the Tiruchy-Thanjavur Highway, the road users had difficult time due to the thick smoke and smell.

On the receipt of information, the fire and rescue personnel rushed to the spot and tried to douse the fire, but in vain. Subsequently, fire tenders from neighbouring districts were also deployed to douse the flames. Even after several hours of struggle, the fire personnel were unable to put off the fire. Sources said the flames are spreading quickly due to the wind flow.