Blaze erupts at plastic scrap yard in Kutch; no casualties

Bhuj, March 12:  A fire broke out at a plastic scrap yard near Chopadva village in Bhachau taluka of Gujarat's Kutch district on Thursday, initiating a large-scale firefighting operation and creating panic in the surrounding area, officials said.

Thick plumes of smoke were seen rising from the site as the blaze rapidly intensified due to the large quantity of plastic stored in the yard.

According to local officials, the fire started suddenly at the plastic yard located near the village.

As the flames spread quickly through the plastic stock, locals rushed to alert authorities and attempted to move away from the site as smoke spread across the area.

A team from the Bhachau Fire Department reached the spot shortly after receiving information about the incident and began efforts to control the blaze.

Firefighters deployed water jets and initiated cooling operations to prevent the flames from spreading further.

Two fire tenders, including vehicles from the Bhachau municipality and a private company, were involved in the operation as crews worked to contain the fire.

Fire officials said the presence of plastic material accelerated the spread of flames, making firefighting operations more difficult.

During the operation, firefighters also discovered four gas cylinders lying amid the plastic stock.

The cylinders were safely removed from the site in time, preventing the possibility of an explosion that could have led to casualties or further damage.

Officials said the timely removal of the cylinders helped avert a potentially major accident.

Authorities said it could take several hours to fully extinguish the blaze due to the large quantity of plastic material at the site.

Firefighters continued operations for several hours to bring the situation under control. No casualties have been reported so far, although officials indicated that the fire may have caused substantial financial losses at the facility.

The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and an investigation will be carried out once the situation is under control.

The incident comes a day after a series of fire emergencies were reported in other parts of Gujarat.

On Wednesday, a major fire broke out at a chemical company warehouse in the Sachin GIDC industrial area of Surat, prompting authorities to declare a “major call” and deploy more than 20 fire tenders to bring the blaze under control.

No casualties were reported in that incident, although thick smoke was seen rising above the industrial area.

In another incident the same day, a fire broke out in the parking area of a building near Science City in Ahmedabad, damaging six vehicles before firefighters managed to control the flames.

Authorities said fire teams responded swiftly in all incidents, and investigations are underway to determine the causes.

--IANS