Dhar waste plant fire 90% controlled after blasts, cooling ops underway

Dhar (Madhya Pradesh): The massive fire that tore through a waste disposal facility in Pithampur’s industrial belt has now been brought largely under control, with authorities confirming that nearly 90 per cent of the blaze has been contained after an intense overnight firefighting operation.

However, thick plumes of smoke continued to rise from the Hazargo Waste plant on Wednesday morning, as teams remained deployed to tackle residual flames and carry out cooling operations.

The fire had erupted late Tuesday night in Sector 3 of the industrial hub, quickly escalating with multiple explosions that triggered panic across the area. Several nearby residential chawls were evacuated as a precaution, while police sealed off routes and diverted traffic to support emergency operations.

Executive Magistrate Rahul Gaikwad said that coordinated efforts involving fire services, police, and local support helped bring the situation under significant control within 10 to 12 hours. He added that remaining pockets of fire are expected to be extinguished soon.

Officials confirmed that the blaze originated at the waste facility before spreading to a few adjacent units, prompting the deployment of multiple fire tenders, foam units, and heavy machinery, including reinforcements from Indore.

Dhar Collector Abhishek Chaudhary said emergency response teams acted swiftly to contain the fire, while police officials reiterated that no casualties have been reported.

Authorities have stated that a detailed probe will be initiated once the fire is completely extinguished, even as concerns over industrial safety in the area continue to mount.