World · South & Central Asia · 3 hrs ago
Fire guts waste facility near Perumbavoor as closure deadline approaches
A major fire broke out on Monday at a waste-sorting facility in Arackappady, near Perumbavoor in Kerala’s Ernakulam district.
It burned tonnes of non-biodegradable waste, including plastic, and smoke covered the nearby residential area for hours.
Sixteen people were at work inside, but nobody was injured.
Firefighters from several stations were still trying to put out the flames on Monday afternoon.
The facility belonged to Kochi-based waste management company GreenEvotech and handled material collected by Haritha Karma Sena volunteers.
The local panchayat had ordered the company to close the site by October 15 after residents complained that waste was piling up; the company said it was preparing to move.
The company’s marketing manager said a short circuit may have started the fire and that waste and machinery were destroyed.
A fire gutted a waste management facility at Arackappady near Perumbavoor on Monday, October 12.
The blaze engulfed tonnes of non-biodegradable waste, including plastic, and left nearby homes under thick smoke for hours.
Sixteen people were working at the facility, but nobody was injured.
The local panchayat had ordered the company to close the facility by October 15 after residents complained about accumulated waste.
The company said it had responded to the order and was preparing to relocate, while its marketing manager said a short circuit caused the fire.
- Who
- GreenEvotech, a Kochi-based waste management company, operated the facility. Sixteen people were working there when the fire broke out.
- What
- A major fire gutted the material recovery facility and tonnes of waste, along with machinery.
- When
- Monday, October 12, 2026.
- Where
- Arackappady near Perumbavoor, in Ernakulam district.
- Why
- The company’s marketing manager said a short circuit caused the fire. The cause was not independently confirmed in the article.
Vengola grama panchayat authorities and local residents
GreenEvotech management
Closure and relocation
Vengola grama panchayat authorities and local residents
The panchayat said the company had been ordered to close by October 15 and had not moved material from the site.
GreenEvotech management
The company said it had promptly responded to the stop memo and was preparing to relocate.
Waste at the facility
Vengola grama panchayat authorities and local residents
Residents complained that collected garbage had piled up, prompting the panchayat to act.
GreenEvotech management
The company said the material left in the building had been sorted and was ready to be handed to recyclers.
The stop memo was issued three months ago, according to which the company was asked to close the facility by October 15. However, they had not moved any material from the facility yet
The materials left in the godown were all segregated and ready to be handed over to recyclers.
She claimed that the fire occurred due to a short circuit.
The panchayat issued a stop memo ordering the company to close the facility by October 15.
A fire broke out at the facility, and fire and rescue units were still trying to extinguish it that afternoon.
The deadline set by the panchayat for the company to close the facility.
- Facility area
- About 20,000 square feet
- People working at the time
- 16; nobody was injured
- Closure deadline
- October 15, 2026
- Waste facility operator
- GreenEvotech, a Kochi-based company
- Equipment destroyed
- A forklift and four baling machines
Sources
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