Kerala: Massive fire breaks out in landfill site in Kannur; Details

A massive fire broke out in the small hours of Sunday at a landfill site in Chelora area of Kannur district which spans over 20 acres and is located 10 km from the city on Sunday morning. 

Kannur:  A massive fire broke out in the small hours of Sunday (May 28), at a landfill site in Chelora area of Kannur district and while the blaze is under control, firefighters are still working to completely extinguish the flames.

According to a Chakkarakkal police official, the fire started at the huge waste site, which spans over 20 acres and is located 10 km from Kannur city, at around 4 AM. The fire was brought under control in around an hour with the help of several fire tenders deployed at the site. 

The waste site is managed by the Kannur Corporation, and their mayor asserted that the fire was initiated intentionally. 

"Things were going on smoothly here. The biomining work was being effectively carried out. Some people who were not happy with how things were going on here, probably set the fire. Else there was no way a fire could have occurred there," Mayor T O Mohanan told PTI. 

He said that while the entire site measured around 23 acres, the waste was dumped only in a 5-6 acre space and the fire had broken out at one small end of the same. 

"The fire erupted around 4AM and it was quickly controlled. There is some smoke coming from the place, so fire personnel are examining if there are any small fires." 

In March, a huge fire had broken out at the Brahmapuram waste treatment plant in Kochi and it continued to burn for nearly two weeks releasing toxic smoke that engulfed many parts of the port city for days.

(With inputs from PTI)