Navi Mumbai: Fire brigade takes 11 hours to control fire at Turbhe dumping ground

A massive fire that broke out on Friday evening at the Turbhe dumping ground of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has been brought under control. However, the cooling process is underway. According to the Vashi fire officials, it took more than 11 hours to bring the fire under control.

Fire broke out Friday evening; 11 engines sent to bring it under control

The fire broke out at the landfill at around 7.30 pm Friday and it spread in a substantial area. The landfill is spread over around 34 acres.

According to Vashi Fire station, more than 11 fire engines were sent one by one to bring the fire under control. “The exact reason is known. However, no one was reported injured in the fire,” said Purshottam Jadhav, a Divisional Fire official from Vashi Fire station. He added that the cooling process was also completed by 9 am on Saturday. In the past, fire instances were reported at the dumping ground.

Nearby residents felt suffocated due to smoke

The massive fire created panic among residents of three slums located at a stone's throw distance. Mahesh Kotiwale, City deputy chief of Shiv Sena (Udhhav) said that Indira Nagar, Turbhe Store and Hanuman Nagar are located nearby the dumping ground and residents were suffocating due to smoke coking out due to the fire. “The thick smoke made it unbearable for residents and they came out of their houses. The civic body must investigate the reason for fire,” said Kotiwale, adding that even a chemical and oil company is located nearby the landfill and if a spark from the fire site travelled to these units, it could have been a disaster,” claimed Kotiwale.

Anti-social elements enter landfill easily, say locals

In the past, there were instances of fire at the landfill. While the security at the landfill site claimed that no one entered, locals claimed that anti-social elements got access to the site easily. A senior civic official said that security at the landfill ensures that no one enters the site. However, the civic body will check all claims.