North Paravur town witnessed one of its worst incidents of fire breakout in recent memory with the waste dumping yard of the municipality at Vedimara catching fire Sunday forenoon, sending a wave of alarm across the town. No one was injured in the incident.
The fire was noticed around 11 a.m. and fire tenders from the Fire and Rescue Services Department’s local office, located close to the site, immediately swung into action. However, the fire could not be contained and fire tenders from Njarakkal, Aluva, Gandhi Nagar, and Eloor fire stations had to be called in, said T.V. Nithin, member of the Paravur municipal council and welfare standing committee chairman.
The fire was brought fully under control by about 4 p.m. However, it continued to smoulder as fire tenders kept close vigil. Areas close to Vedimara was engulfed in thick smoke for some time as the plastic dump in the waste yard had caught fire.
The cause of the fire is not known. There had been no incident of fire breakout in the dumping yard in the last 10 years, said Mr. Nithin. He said three abandoned mini pickup vehicles, belonging to the municipality and earlier used for collection of waste, were gutted in the fire.