Smoke continues to billow from the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram’s (MCG) secondary collection point (SCP) in Sector 37C for the fifth day after a major fire broke out at the site on June 4.A blaze erupted at a MCG secondary collection point in Sector 37C on June 4 at around 6.30am. (HT Archive)Fire department officials said they received information about the blaze at around 6:30 am and began firefighting operations within 15 to 20 minutes. At least 200 fire tenders have been deployed to control the fire.Residents said a government school is located barely 500 metres from the site, which has been closed due to summer vacation. They said the situation could have posed a serious health risk to students.Residents said thick smoke continued to emanate from the site, raising fears over prolonged exposure to polluted air.A resident said his daughter, who suffers from asthma, was having trouble breathing. “This is not natural. It is a man-made incident and we have to suffer because of it,” she said.Rajeev Beniwal, Khandsa resident, said,“The last few days have been extremely difficult. The smoke has affected everyone in the vicinity, making it hard to step outdoor.”“This is not the first time a fire of such magnitude has broken out at the site. The situation would have been prevented if waste was processed regularly,” he added.Narendra Yadav, fire safety officer at the Sector 29 fire station in Gurugram, said firefighting teams from multiple stations, including Bhim Nagar, IMT Manesar, Sector 29 and sector 37, were deployed at the site.Fire officials said Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG’s) JCB machines removed accumulated waste and created access routes within the site, enabling fire tenders to reach the affected areas.Sandeep Kumar, MCG, senior sanitation inspector said the civic body also deployed three anti-smog guns and three workers have been stationed at the site on a round-the-clock basis to monitor the condition.He said the operations took time as smoke continued to emanate from the waste due to methane emissions, while the large volume of accumulated garbage further complicated firefighting efforts. “The site has been cleared now and regular transportation will be done,” he added.Ruchika Sethi, environmentalist and founder of citizens collective called Citizens For Clean Air, said the deployment of over 100 fire tenders over the past few days underscores the severity of the incident.“The smoke that comes out of industrial and plastic waste include harmful gases, black carbon and dioxins and furans. The continuing smoke, extensive spread of smouldering industrial and municipal waste and sustained emergency response reflect a major environmental event with implications for air quality, public health and waste management governance,” she added.In the past, Gurugram has witnessed several garbage fires, including a major blaze at the Bandhwari landfill in April 2026, a large dump fire in Sector 47 in March 2026, and recurring garbage-burning incidents near the Sector 12 bus stand despite repeated complaints.