Garbage pile catches fire near Carlton Towers, worries residents

A pile of garbage dumped in front of Carlton Towers on Old Airport Road caught fire causing panic in the area on Saturday morning.

The huge flames and smoke plumes left the people worried. However, the cause of the fire is not known.

"This is a waste segregation unit. A park was converted into the waste segregation unit. I was going to my parent's place and saw massive flames coming out of this place," said Avinash Pai.

At times people burn garbage here, Pai said.

"I do not know if this time the fire is intentional or due to some cigarettes butts or any such thing. But why should dumping of garbage be allowed here in the first place?" he asked.

Pai said that the timely arrival of fire department personnel averted any untoward incidents. "It could have been a disaster. But thankfully the fire personnel came in time," he said.

The Carlton Towers reopened a few months ago after a fire tragedy in 2010 where nine persons died and several others sustained burns.