A major fire that broke out at Tiruchengode Municipality dump yard in Namakkal district late on Sunday was extinguished after more than 18 hours on Monday.
The fire broke out at around 10 p.m. on Sunday and began spreading rapidly when fire and rescue service personnel rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire after an 18-hour operation.
Early on Monday, local residents staged a road blockade, demanding relocation of the dump yard. Tiruchengode police and municipal officials intervened and assured the protesters that their concerns would be looked after. As a result, the residents decided to withdraw their protest.
Namakkal District Collector S. Uma arrived at the spot and instructed municipal officials to conduct medical checks for the residents and to treat anyone found to have respiratory issues due to the smoke. The officials were also instructed to submit a detailed report on what caused the fire and to install CCTV cameras in the dump yard. The collector inspected the urban primary health centre in Ward 5 and instructed doctors to submit a report on the treatment provided to the public.
Tiruchengode police are investigating the incident.
