Fire broke out at Sulochana Waste Cotton Mill at Kallakinaru in Palladam-Dharapuram Road, when workers were disposing heaps of cotton and plastic waste.

Fire Department personnel, who rushed to the spot, had a tough time in controlling the fire as flames leapt several metres high thanks to the winds. The entire area was engulfed in smoke throughout the day.

Social activists have questioned the unsafe practice of disposing of plastic wastes in open area. In the waste cotton mill, the yarns are produced from plastic and other wastes are used to make consumer materials.