A massive fire broke out at a landfill site in the Chelora area of Kannur district early Sunday (May 28), and while the blaze is under control, firefighters are still working to completely extinguish the flames. The fire began around 4 AM at the massive waste site, which spans over 20 acres and is located 10 kilometres from Kannur city, news agency PTI reported citing a Chakkarakkal police official. With the assistance of several fire tenders stationed on the scene, the fire was brought under control in about an hour
Kannur Corporation manages the waste site, and their mayor claimed that the fire was started on purpose.
"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 was quoted as saying by PTI.
He stated that while the entire site measured approximately 23 acres, the waste was only dumped in a 5-6 acre area, and the fire had started at one small end of the same.
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"The fire broke out around 4 AM and was quickly put out." There is some smoke coming from the area, so firefighters are checking to see if there are any small fires," Mohanan added.
A massive fire broke out at Kochi's Brahmapuram waste treatment plant in March, and it burned for nearly two weeks, releasing toxic smoke that engulfed many parts of the port city for days.
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