Fire breaks out at Khargone trenching ground, toddler referred to Indore

Khargone: A fire that broke out at the trenching ground situated on the outskirts of Khargone district headquarters was brought under control by Monday evening, but thick smoke from the burning waste continued to cause inconvenience for nearby residents. The situation led to a brief blockade of the Khandwa–Vadodara National Highway by locals, while a 2-year-old child suffering from breathing problems was referred to Indore for treatment.Khargone Municipality Chief Municipal Officer (CMO) Kamla Kaul told TOI that the administration received information early Sunday that unidentified persons set fire to rubbish at the trenching ground. A team was immediately dispatched, and fire tenders along with water tankers were deployed to extinguish the blaze, she said.She said that the fire spread over nearly 3 acres, and the smoke along with a foul smell spread in surrounding areas due to the wind. Earth-moving machines were used to prevent the flames from spreading further, she said.She said, "As the rubbish contained large amounts of plastic and other combustible materials, the fire proved difficult to control." Additional fire tenders were called from Mandleshwar, Kasrawad and Bhikangaon, besides Khargone, and continuous efforts by firefighting teams helped bring the blaze under control by Monday evening, she said.CMO Kaul said some smoke was still rising from the site, but it would gradually subside. She added that information about the incident was also shared with Khargone Kotwali police and district collector Bhavya Mittal.Meanwhile, residents of the nearby Gopalpur area, who were affected by the smoke and foul smell, staged a protest and briefly blocked the Khandwa–Vadodara National Highway late Sunday. The blockade ended after police and administrative officials reached the spot and persuaded the protesters to clear the road.Local residents Santosh Mukati, Manoj Hammad and Raju Solanki said that initially they suspected that someone might set fire to leftover crop waste after wheat harvesting. During the day on Sunday, only light smoke drifted towards Gopalpura village, but by night it became so dense that it created fog-like conditions on the national highway.Amid the smoke crisis, 2-year-old Ali, son of Sajid Sheikh from Gopalpura, suddenly developed breathing problems around 2 am early Monday and was taken to the district hospital.Paediatric specialist Dr Hitesh Solanki said the child already had a history of asthma and the smoke likely aggravated his condition. Despite about 2 hours of treatment, his breathing did not improve. The family later took him from the hospital to a private hospital and later shifted him to Indore due to severe breathing complications.