Inferno Engulfs Scrapyards on Mysuru's Outskirts

The Saturday night sky above Mysuru was painted with a menacing, ominous orange glow, a stark and unforgettable sight for many. A ferocious fire, the kind that grips a community with a sudden fear, had erupted on the city's very outskirts, near Kadakola village in Nanjangud taluk, consuming several vast scrapyards in its relentless march.

Around 8:30 PM, as the weekend was gently winding down for most, the blaze began its destructive dance. Eyewitnesses described towering flames and thick, acrid smoke billowing into the darkness, fueled by a highly combustible mix of plastics, rubber, discarded metals, and even a few vehicles – a lorry, an autorickshaw, a car, and a bike – all piled high and destined for salvage. One particular yard, reportedly belonging to a junk dealer named Nazeer, bore the devastating brunt of the inferno.

The call for help brought an impressive mobilization of emergency resources. Eight fire tenders, dispatched from Mysuru, Nanjangud, and even as far as Bandipur, raced against time to the scene. Firefighters, their faces grim under the flashing lights, toiled for over three grueling hours. The inherent flammability of the scrap, combined with unyielding evening winds, transformed the entire area into a volatile furnace, making their arduous task incredibly challenging. Local police, diligent villagers, and even a water tanker from the Mysuru City Corporation joined the fray, offering what assistance they could in the desperate battle against the raging flames.

While the material destruction was undeniably extensive, a collective sigh of relief could be heard across the affected area as the news spread: miraculously, there were no reported casualties, no injuries to humans or animals. In incidents of this scale, such an outcome is truly a blessing, a testament perhaps to the somewhat isolated nature of the scrapyards themselves. Situated roughly 200 meters off the busy Mysuru-Ooty highway (NH 766), their remote location inadvertently helped contain the fire, preventing it from spreading to more populated areas.

The exact cause of the inferno, however, remains shrouded in uncertainty. Investigators are currently weighing various possibilities, from an accidental electrical short circuit – a common culprit in such industrial settings – to the more unsettling prospect of someone deliberately setting fire to accumulated waste. The Mysuru Rural Police have since registered a case, initiating a thorough investigation to piece together the events that led to Saturday's destructive spectacle. Indeed, this isn't the first time fire has struck the vicinity; a similar area saw another blaze just recently, on January 29, affecting a furniture shop.

As the smoke clears and the debris slowly cools, questions inevitably linger about safety protocols in such yards and how best to prevent future occurrences. For the owners, it's a stark reminder of significant loss; for the firefighters, a job bravely done against formidable odds; and for the community, a jarring spectacle that hopefully prompts further vigilance and preventative measures.