Fire Breaks Out at Vellalore Garbage Dump in Coimbatore

Coimbatore: A fire broke out at a section of the Vellalore garbage dump yard in Coimbatore on Sunday, with a similar fire incident having occurred at the site last week. The latest fire reportedly broke out in an area where old waste had accumulated, leading to smoke billowing from the dump yard.

Last week, a fire that broke out at the Vellalore dump yard around 5 am on August 23 spread across about 3.1 acres on the eastern side of the site, behind the compost yard, where garden waste and water hyacinth waste had accumulated. The blaze was brought completely under control by August 24 after an extensive firefighting operation.

The earlier fire was first noticed by patrolling staff from the watchtower, following which 10 fire tenders were deployed. Water was pumped from a lagoon within the dump yard premises to douse the flames, while police also deployed the Varun water cannon vehicle. Firefighting operations continued through the night to prevent the blaze from spreading.

A 20-member medical team from the Corporation’s public health wing also inspected the surrounding areas following the earlier incident and found no cases of respiratory problems among residents. Officials had suspected that temperature variations and the prevailing heat conditions may have triggered the fire, though the exact cause was yet to be ascertained.

Following the latest incident, Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the spot and began efforts to control the flames and prevent further spread. Minister Vignesh also visited the site and inspected the situation along with Corporation and other concerned department officials. He directed officials to expedite firefighting operations and take necessary measures to bring the situation under control.