Gururgam, March 31 -- A massive fire broke out on vacant land in Sector 47, long plagued by illegal waste dumping, on Sunday around 6.30pm, with smoke continuing to affect residents until Monday afternoon, officials and residents said. Residents said the blaze erupted on open land near residential housing and a private school, prompting a call to the fire department around 6.30pm, but alleged delays worsened the situation. "The fire tenders arrived late, by which time the blaze had intensified and spread rapidly. The smoke soon engulfed the entire area. When fire officials reached the spot, the intensity of the fire was so high that they had to source water from nearby housing societies," said Prasanto K Roy, a resident of Sector 47. Roy said the situation persisted overnight. "Even after the fire tenders left at night, smoke began to rise again. Since morning, residents and students have been choking due to the lingering fumes. one can only imagine the consequences if. a fire were to break out in a residential complex," he said. Abhay Pathak, RWA president of Bestech Park View Spa, said residents continued to inhale toxic fumes. "The fire could have been brought under control much sooner, but fire officials said they were unable to clear the smoke without an earthmover to remove the massive heaps of waste," he said, adding illegal dumping had continued at the site for three to four years despite complaints to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG). "The sector looked like a gas chamber," he said. Responding to the allegations, Naresh Kumar, station officer at Sector 29 fire station, denied delays. "Fire tenders reached the spot within 15 to 20 minutes of the incident being reported." He added, "Our officials remained on the site until midnight. but smoke continued to linger. The operation was hampered by the unavailability of earthmovers from the MCG." "Residents called again in the morning when the fire flared up. Six vehicles were redeployed. The MCG arranged an earthmover in the afternoon, which allowed us to finally clear the smoke," he said. The fire was initially doused at night but reignited in the early hours, with smoke cleared only by around 5pm after waste removal. Officials said the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Gaurav, a sanitation inspector at the MCG, said, "At least five earthmovers and anti-smog guns were used. The site contained horticulture waste and is designated for such use." Contradicting the claim, Priyadeep Soni, junior engineer (horticulture), said, "The site was not designated and involved illegal dumping."...