Thick smoke blankets skyline; four tenders deployed as locals decry inaction after third blaze in six months
Firefighters battle a massive blaze at a Zuarinagar scrapyard as thick smoke billows and scrap material goes up in flames on Wednesday.
VASCO
A massive fire tore through a scrapyard in Zuarinagar on Wednesday afternoon, gutting large quantities of stored material and sending thick black smoke across the skyline.
The blaze, visible from several kilometres away, quickly triggered a major firefighting operation.
The fire is suspected to have broken out when workers had stepped out for lunch. A worker said they rushed back on noticing dense smoke and shifted gas cylinders and other flammable items to prevent further damage.
“We had gone out for lunch when the fire started. We are not sure how it began, but we acted quickly to move hazardous materials away,” he said.
Fire officials said they received a distress call at around 2.30 pm and found the blaze had already engulfed the yard storing cables, wires, plastics and thermocol.
“There are five to six scrapyards packed closely together. The fire was intense and beyond the capacity of a single station, so reinforcements were called,” an official said, adding that four fire tenders were deployed.
Fire personnel also faced delays due to traffic congestion, diversions amidst the ongoing highway works and narrow access roads leading to the scrapyard site.
Despite the scale of the blaze, no injuries were reported. Authorities said a detailed probe into the cause of the fire and the extent of losses will be taken up once the site is safe for inspection.
The incident has once again sparked sharp criticism from local residents, who questioned the inaction of authorities despite repeated fire incidents in the area.
Residents pointed out that this is the third major scrapyard fire in the last six months and alleged that no concrete steps have been taken to regulate or relocate such high-risk units.
Locals demanded to know whether these scrapyards have valid permissions and why action has not been initiated by the police and panchayat authorities. They alleged that several units operate in congested spaces storing industrial waste, posing a constant threat to nearby residential areas.
Residents also raised concerns over possible lapses in enforcement, questioning why repeated incidents have not triggered stricter inspections or closures.
Calls were made for immediate intervention, including verification of licences, safety compliance checks and action against illegal scrapyards.
