Mangalore, Feb 1: Nearly 300 houses in Vamanjoor and Pachchanady area have been engulfed with smoke due to a huge fire that broke out in the dump yard at Pachachanady on Sunday January 31. The fire has spread over a vast area in the dump yard and could not be controlled by the fire department. The fire spread over nearly 30 percent of the dump yard after five hours of continuously burning solid waste. The yard is meant for dumping the solid waste of the city and is managed by the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC). The smoke can be felt upto five kilometers from the dump yard. “The fire started in the morning around 11am but it continued to spread in the yard”, said Ramesh, a local resident. He said that they cannot stay in their houses due to the bad smell and smoke that was spreading around. “Fires in the yard are common, but it is the first time that one is spreading over a huge area”, added Ramesh. Most of the local residents who arrived at the spot expressed anger against the MCC for negligence. Residents from the nearest 300 houses expressed their fears about the impact on their health and daily routine. They said that nothing could be seen inside the houses due to the smoke and they could move out for fear of suffocation and the smell of waste burning. Fire department personnel began their operation in the morning, but the fire has not been controlled even after several hours and it is supposed to continue through the night also. Vijaya, an officer from the fire department, said that personnel are operating on a war footing and pulling out all stops to control the fire. A source from the MCC has said that the dumping of chemical and medical waste in the yard is the reason for frequent fires. The waste from chemical industries and hospitals is allegedly dumped illegally at the yard in the night. The source claimed that some of the MCC employees are also involved in this. The chemical content in the waste ignites the fire in sunlight.
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