Two vehicles caught fire on the bridge along Mahim-Sion Link road on Friday evening. Two fire engines were rushed to the spot and the blaze was extinguished after an hour of firefighting. Imran Pathan, a resident of Mahim, said, “Some waste dumped on the bridge caught fire around 4 pm. After some time, it spread to a parked car and then another. Local youth moved other vehicles parked nearby which averted a disaster.” According to Pathan, scrap dealers frequently dump waste on the bridge. “The BMC needs to take strict action against those dumping waste,” he asserted.
“There are many occasions when the dumped waste has caught fire. But this time, it spread to two vehicles, resulting in the dense black smoke in the area,” a local resident said, adding that the waste dumped mostly comprises old furniture and plastic items that catch fire easily. The dense smoke was visible from a few kilometres away, which firemen claimed was due to the burning of the tyres. A firefighter at the spot said the reason for the fire was still unknown. “We used two fire engines and controlled the fire immediately,” he said.
Shahanshah Husain, a resident of the Dharavi T Junction, said, “These vehicles used to be parked on the 60 Feet Road in Dharavi. As the traffic police started taking action, the owner started parking them on the bridge.” Husain added that there has been an issue of illegal dumping on the bridge by mostly scrap dealers. “The BMC cleans this road in the morning and by noon more waste is dumped at the location,” he said.
