Empty deo cans may have triggered scrap unit fire

Air freshener cans, perfume or deodorant bottles and cigarette lighters that are not really empty could have been the trigger for the fire mishap at a scrap collection unit at Cheruvannur here on Tuesday.

The report submitted to the District Collector by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) said such items could have been submerged in the heap of plastic that had gone up to 10 metres, and that they could have exploded under pressure. The report was submitted on Friday.

It negated the possibility of mishap due to leakage of cooking gas, while the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) had earlier written off the possibility of short circuit as being the reason for the fire. However, someone setting the scrap on fire is still not discounted.

The scrap consisted of a large number of footwear, diapers and other plastic materials that were not segregated, and that could have been the reason for the fast spread of the fire, the report said.

The scrap collection unit functions from a makeshift building that was rented out by one Sajin C.P. from Moozhikkal in the city. The Kozhikode Corporation had found that the unit had no licence and had served a closure notice the very day of the mishap. Six other scrap units found in unmanageable condition were also ordered to be to shut down following the incident.