Fire engulfs vacant land near Pullukadu in Coimbatore

Coimbatore: A sudden fire engulfed a vacant land near the Pullukadu area at Ukkadam in the city on Wednesday evening.
The fire brigade doused the fire after a struggle for more than three hours. Three water tankers were deployed to put off the fire.
This incident created a panic in the neighbourhood as a few people suffered breathing problems and suffocation due to heavy smoke. Fire service personnel said the cause of the fire was yet to be detected. Police have registered a complaint and are investigating.
Councillor Ahamed Kabir of ward 86, where Pullukadu, said the fire was from garbage dumped in an open area there. He said the vacant land spanning almost 12 acres belonged to the corporation, where garbage was dumped indiscriminately.
"At midnight, a few people dump the garbage in this place. Measures were taken to clear the garbage and fix a gate. But the gate was broken by unidentified individuals who also use the place for anti–social activities. They take advantage of the fact that this place lacks CCTV camera," he said, urging the corporation to secure the locality with gates and fix CCTV cameras.