Gurugram: ‘Illegal dump’ fire in Sector 47 chokes residents for 12 hrs

Fire broke out Sunday evening and reignited next morning, with fumes persisting until around 5pm after waste removal.

A massive fire broke out on vacant land in Sector 47, long plagued by illegal waste dumping, on Sunday around 6.30pm, with smoke continuing to affect residents until Monday afternoon, fire department officials and residents said.

Residents alleged delayed response, while fire officials said teams reached within 15–20 minutes of the call. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Residents said the blaze erupted on open land near residential housing and a private school, prompting a call to the fire department around 6.30pm. However, they alleged delays in response worsened the situation.

“The fire tenders arrived late, by which time the blaze had intensified and spread rapidly. The smoke soon engulfed the entire area. When fire officials reached the spot, the intensity of the fire was so high that they had to source water from nearby housing societies,” said Prasanto K Roy, a resident of Sector 47.

Roy added that the situation persisted overnight. “Even after the fire tenders left at night, smoke began to rise again. Since morning, residents and students have been choking due to the lingering fumes. A simple fire has taken so long to be fully doused… one can only imagine the consequences if… a fire were to break out in a residential complex,” he said.

Abhay Pathak, RWA president of Bestech Park View Spa, said residents continued to inhale toxic fumes. “The fire could have been brought under control much sooner, but fire officials said they were unable to clear the smoke without a earthmover to remove the massive heaps of waste,” he said, adding that illegal dumping had continued at the site for three to four years despite repeated complaints to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG). “The sector looked like a gas chamber,” he said.

Firefighting was hindered by lack of earthmovers, which were arranged only the next day, officials said. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

In response to the allegations, Naresh Kumar, station officer at Sector 29 fire station, said five fire vehicles from Sector 29, Bhimnagar, and Sector 37 were deployed initially.Denying the allegations of delayed response, Kumar said, “Fire tenders reached the spot within 15 to 20 minutes of the incident being reported.”“Our officials remained on the site until midnight… but smoke continued to linger. The operation was hampered by the unavailability of earthmovers from the MCG,” he added.

“Residents called again in the morning when the fire flared up. Six vehicles were redeployed… The MCG arranged an earthmover in the afternoon, which allowed us to finally clear the smoke,” he added. The fire was initially doused at night but reignited in the early hours. While flames were brought under control again in the morning, smoke persisted until afternoon and was fully cleared only by around 5pm after waste removal using a earthmover.

Officials said the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, and it remains unclear whether any foul play was involved.

In response to reports of delay in providing the earthmover, Gaurav, a sanitation inspector at the MCG, said no earthmover was available at night but machines were deployed once the department was informed. “At least five earthmovers and anti-smog guns were used to control the smoke. The site contained horticulture waste and is designated for such use,” he said.

Meanwhile, Priyadeep Soni, junior engineer (horticulture), said the site was not designated for horticulture waste. “The fire occurred at a location where C&D waste, horticulture waste and garbage had been dumped illegally. JCB machines were sent in the afternoon after we received information,” he said.