Fire erupts at Sector 32 dumping ground again, miscreant booked

A massive fire broke out at the horticulture department's dumping ground in Sector 32 on Wednesday afternoon, filling the sky with thick smoke and causing heavy traffic congestion on Maharaja Agrasen Marg.

- Arun Singh

NOIDA: Officials said the blaze was triggered after an Odisha-based man allegedly threw a lit bidi (cigarette) into the dry green waste while in an inebriated state. He was caught by locals and handed over to the police, they added.

The fire, which erupted around 3 pm near the ISKCON temple, spread rapidly due to gusty winds, despite firefighting efforts.

"As many as 15 fire tenders and 16 water tankers were deployed to douse the flames, but the fire had engulfed the entire dumping ground by 6 pm," said Gautam Budh Nagar chief fire officer (CFO) Pradeep Kumar Chaubey.

Four water tankers and one tractor deployed to fight the fire were destroyed, fire officials said.