Bandhwari Landfill fire smoulders for 2nd day; ‘methane buildup’ suspected

A day after a major fire broke out at the Bandhwari Landfill, spreading across five to six acres, the blaze continues to smoulder at several spots, with fresh flare-ups being reported during waste removal operations, a spot check by HT found on Thursday

A day after a major fire broke out at the Bandhwari Landfill, spreading across five to six acres, the blaze continues to smoulder at several spots, with fresh flare-ups being reported during waste removal operations, a spot check by HT found on Thursday.

Smoke seen coming out from the Bandhwari Landfill as seen on Thursday. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Around 40 fire tenders from Gurugram and Faridabad have been dispatched to the site over the past 28 hours since the fire broke out, according to officials privy to matter. The fire triggered on three fronts was reduced to one facing Delhi-Faridabad road, with firefighting units led by engineers Sandeep Sihag, Sunil (single name) and JC Dr Preetpal Singh are collecting water from nearby Mangar village.Fire department officials present on the site said the complete clearing of smoke would take another one or two days.

Officials said even though the exact cause of the fire still remains unknown, however methane buildup beneath the compressed waste and rising temperatures triggered the flames. “Long-term measures, such as increasing CCTV surveillance and tractor-mounted surveillance, will be implemented at the plant,” said Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) commissioner Pradeep Dahiya .

According to the order, officials have been directed to remain present at the landfill during their shifts, conduct regular inspections of fire-prone areas, and ensure the availability of firefighting equipment, water tankers and emergency systems. The instructions also stress on early detection of smoke and heat build-up, along with strict coordination with fire services. Assistant engineers have been tasked with submitting daily monitoring reports highlighting fire safety observations and corrective measures, with the civic body warning of disciplinary action in case of negligence.

On Thursday afternoon, at least 25 personnel, including MCG officials and staff members, were containing flames. “Smoke trapped beneath eight to ten feet of compressed waste, with risks of reignition, is being subdued through the deployment of 20 excavators and 46 cylinders sourced from 16 processing plants, with a combined capacity of up to 7,400 metric tonnes per day,” a senior MCG official said, requesting anonymity.

Officials and workers present on the site said that an initial delay in firefighting response likely triggered the blaze to spread.“The ongoing state-wide strike of firefighters, including 150 firemen on the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam (HKRN) payroll, has confined our operations. Units across all seven stations are on alert, with three to four tenders, including from private agencies, reaching the site every few hours,” said a senior fire department official, requesting anonymity.

“A suspected tiny flame during a segregation exercise carried out at the pit facing the village road spread to a 300m area within a few minutes due to excessive presence of plastic and dry waste residues coupled with strong wind gusts. Processing operations have been halted at the plants, with at least fifty trucks carrying waste load from Gurugram and Faridabad are parked on empty plots along the Gurugram-Faridabad highway,” another senior official added.

Currently, 46 fire cylinders, sandbags, air-compression equipment, tractor-mounted high-temperature sprinklers, and 29 surveillance cameras, with plans to increase the number to 40, are available at the processing site, according to MCG data.

The latest data from the fire department showed that around 70 fire calls were made from the Bandhwari landfill during the peak summer months from March to June in 2024 and another 68 during the same period in 2025. Around four fire calls have been made from the landfill this year, with a major incident prevented in February. MCG officials confirmed that around four large waste fires were triggered at the landfill in 2025, down from nine the year before.