Twin fires exhaust crews, choke Ludhiana.

Ludhiana: It was a dual crisis on Tuesday when a massive timber warehouse blaze and an out-of-control landfill fire exhausted local resources and choked the region in dense smoke

The blaze at Ferozepur Road’s at the Ganpati Timber Traders took 25 fire trucks and more than five hours to contain. It broke out around 7.10am godown and a large stock of wood fuelled its rapid spread. “The cause remains unknown, but the timber stoked it intensely,” said leading fireman Rajinder Kumar, who was among the first responders.

No casualties were reported immediately, though the scale of the blaze scared the morning commuters and nearby shopkeepers. Sub-fire officer Aatish Rai said that: “The Ferozepur Road fire was still big by Tuesday afternoon.”\

‘Mountains of trash’ and no water

The warehouse emergency compounded a gruelling day for local fire services, who were tackling a severe, deep-seated fire simultaneously at the city’s main garbage dump in Jamalpur, which has become an operational hazard. Lack of onsite water infrastructure forced crews to drive to a station on Tajpur Road to refill their tanks.

“When we are called there at night, it is pitch black, and navigating mountains of trash is incredibly dangerous,” one firefighter said, remembering how a member of his crew was injured critically under similar conditions 18 months ago.

Officials added that illegal garbage burning in vacant plots across Ludhiana had further strained emergency resources, triggering several smaller blazes throughout the day.