Fire breaks out at sewage farm with tonnes of legacy waste lying in open

Firefighters at a sewage farm in Mysuru where a fire broke out sending plumes of smoke into the sky.
| Photo Credit: M.A. SRIRAM

Though the immediate cause of the fire was not known, officials suspected that it could have been triggered by a spark from a local fire near Chamundi Hills.

The spark hit the mounds of waste that were in the process of being cleared through bioremediation but the wind fanned the flames, which spread to the vast swathe of the sewage farm in no time.

The Fire and Emergency Services personnel have sent an extinguisher, and 10 firemen have been deployed to bring the situation under control. A senior official flayed the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) for its negligence. He said, “The MCC had been told to cap the accumulated waste with mud to prevent an outbreak of fire during summer. But they have taken our advisory lightly,” the official added.

The firefighters said they received a call at around 1.30 p.m. and reached the spot to douse the fire.

However, senior officials in the department said they were hamstrung and the situation had to be managed with depleted force as one vehicle had been deployed at T. Narsipur for the Kumbh Mela which will commence from Monday. Besides, 70 personnel were also camping in the town.

The department is also hampered by the decision of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to decommission vehicles that are more than 15 years old. Hence, Mysuru has to do with three fire extinguishers of which one is deployed in T. Narsipur and the other is at the sewage farm. Officials said both vehicles cannot be deployed as one has to be on standby to manage any other fire-related emergencies in the city.