Fire breaks out in private paper and cardboard making unit near Tirunelveli
A massive fire broke out at a private paper and cardboard recycling unit near Tirunelveli, India, causing significant smoke and requiring an extended firefighting effort. The blaze was difficult to extinguish due to the compressed nature of the waste paper blocks.
Why it matters
The incident highlights industrial safety challenges and the environmental impact of large-scale waste management facilities in urbanizing regions.
A massive fire broke out at a private paper and cardboard-making unit at Kallur near Tirunelveli on Wednesday.
As the fire broke out around 2.30 p.m. in imported waste paper blocks, the raw material for paper and cardboard, the entire yard was immediately enveloped in black smoke. With strong westerly winds in the open yard where the waste paper blocks had been stocked, the fire spread rapidly.
Since the waste paper and discarded cardboard had been compressed into blocks, five fire tenders from the Palayamkottai, Pettai and Cheranmahadevi fire stations, with 40 firefighters, had to work hard to douse the flames. The water being sprayed on the burning blocks could not penetrate deep into them.
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