Dhar/Pithampur: A massive blaze erupted at a private waste company in Sector-3 of Pithampur, the bustling industrial zone in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, turning the waste disposal facility into an uncontrollable inferno within moments.
The fire, which began in the early hours of Wednesday, has not yet subsided. Dozens of fire tenders raced to the scene and waged a battle against the flames, yet the fire continued to devour the premises unchecked. Thick plumes of smoke billowed high into the sky, visible from afar, while a series of powerful explosions rocked the complex, sending waves of panic through the entire industrial belt.
“The fire is now subsiding as it has been burning for four to five hours; it will be controlled soon,” Ravi Sonar, City Superintendent of Police, Dhar, told the media.
The raging fire soon leapt across boundaries, inflicting heavy damage on two neighbouring companies and heightening fears of a wider catastrophe. The intensity of the blaze was evident in the destruction of a dumper truck and an earthmoving machine parked inside the compound, both reduced to charred remains in the searing heat.
Acting swiftly on alerts, authorities evacuated adjacent units as a precaution, ensuring no lives were lost in what could have escalated into a tragic disaster.
Preliminary estimates place the financial losses in crores of rupees, though a precise assessment of the destruction remains pending amid the ongoing operations.
Government officials reached the spot along with the Dhar Superintendent of Police, officers from all three Pithampur police stations, and district administration teams. They described the situation and said the Hazargo company is an industrial waste disposal facility, and confirmed that the fire originated there before spreading to nearby areas.
Fire department vehicles and water tankers have been fully deployed, with all operational units mobilised to contain the spread, while administrative and police staff continue coordinated relief efforts. Additional fire tenders have been summoned from Indore, Dhar, and Dhamnod, bringing more than a dozen brigade teams into action.
The entire area has been cordoned off under strict surveillance as authorities supervise rescue and containment measures round the clock.
The exact cause of the massive fire is still unknown and will be established only after a thorough investigation, said officials.
(IANS)
