Massive fire breaks out at scrap yard on Dhankaniya Road in Botad

A massive fire suddenly broke out at a scrap yard on Dhankaniya Road in a congested area of Botad city, causing panic throughout the locality. Due to the large quantity of plastic, paper, cardboard, and other flammable materials stored in the yard, the fire took a ferocious form very quickly. Billows of black smoke from the fire could be seen from kilometres away.

According to reports by Sandesh, it is initially suspected that the fire was caused by firecracker sparks at the local level. As residential houses were located on all four sides of the yard, there was a fear that the flames would spread towards the homes, causing residents to rush out of their houses to save their lives. However, the Botad Fire Brigade and police contingents reached the spot and brought the fire under control after significant effort. Due to the promptness of the Fire Department, no person suffered burn injuries or any other loss of life in this accident. Goods worth lakhs of rupees have been burnt to ashes in this incident.

Following this incident, questions have been raised regarding the permission granted to such hazardous yards in residential areas. According to rules, yards containing flammable materials should be located outside the city; nevertheless, suspicions are being raised as to how this yard was operating amidst a dense population. Additionally, serious questions have been raised regarding whether the yard possessed the necessary fire safety equipment and NOC.