Surat Khajod Dumping Site Fire, 1 November 2026: Hotfix Plastic Waste Burns Near Diamond Bourse, Smoke Seen for Kilometres; Repeat Fire, Cause Not Established

What happened

A big fire broke out at the Surat Municipal Corporation’s (SMC) solid-waste dumping site at Khajod on the morning of Sunday, 1 November 2026. Surat Fire and Emergency Services said the call came at around 6.45 am and the flames were spreading through heaps of hotfix plastic dumped along the road leading to the main dumping site, as Bhimrad fire sub-officer Jayesh Lad told The Times of India. Hotfix is the plastic sheet with a heat-activated glue that textile units use to fix rhinestones on fabric, and fire officials say it is highly inflammable and burns fast. Thick black smoke rose for kilometres, near the Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB). Bhaskar English reports that the fire spread across about half a kilometre of the garbage. Checked on 3 November 2026; the latest report we could open was published on 3 November.

Firefighters had a hard time because the plastic was hazardous and the flames were high. The Times of India reports 35 firemen, seven fire tenders of 10,000 to 18,000 litres each, and more than 3 lakh litres of water, with the fire under control by about 1 pm, roughly six hours after the call. Bhaskar English and Lokmat Times report 10 or more fire tenders, and Bhaskar’s early report said the fire kept flaring up from inside the pile. Crews used earthmovers and forklifts (a bucket method) and JCBs to lift the layers of plastic and turn the garbage so that water could reach the burning part underneath. No injury was reported in any account we opened.

Where the reports differ

• The day: The Times of India and Bhaskar English put the fire on Sunday, 1 November, at 6.45 am. The Indian Express, in a report dated 3 November, says a major fire broke out on Monday. We found no report of a second fire on 2 November, and we use 1 November.
• How many fire tenders: seven (The Times of India) against 10 or more (Bhaskar English, Lokmat Times). We say seven to ten.
• How many fires this year: The Times of India and The Indian Express call it the third at the site in a year. Bhaskar English and a Zee 24 Kalak video title call it the fifth in a year. Residents quoted in April said such fires occur every 15 to 20 days.
• What burned: The Times of India says discarded hotfix plastic sheets. Bhaskar English calls it hot-mix, apparently the same stuff. Lokmat Times says industrial hot-mix waste is suspected and that the exact nature of the material has not been established.

Cause: not established, and a question has been raised

No official has named a cause. Bhaskar English reports that senior civic officials suspect it may have been set deliberately, because such a big fire began so early in the morning, and that an information report (a station diary entry) was filed at Dream City police station. We found no FIR, arrest or finding of arson, and we do not say it was deliberate. Bhaskar also reports that the contractor’s extended waste-processing contract was to end on 4 November, and that about 12 lakh tonnes of old waste remain at the site according to an SVNIT expert report. These are that paper’s reports from municipal documents, and an opposition councillor has alleged irregularities in waste processing. The Times of India could not reach the SMC commissioner for comment.

Not the first fire

• February and March 2026: The Indian Express says fires broke out at the site in both months, plastic and mixed waste causing thick smoke, and that residents of Dipli and nearby villages complained of deficiencies in waste management. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) then issued a show-cause notice to SMC (The Times of India says in April).
• 24 to 26 March 2026: a fire began at about 1.15 pm in a stockpile of refuse-derived fuel at the processing plant, spread to the landfill, and was brought under control at about 4 pm on 26 March using 10 tenders and about 82 lakh litres of water. It was a deep-seated fire, smouldering below the surface, and smoke carried on until 8 April (DeshGujarat, quoting the civic note). Around 3,000 families near the site warned of protests, and residents of societies in Sarsana said they were confined indoors with masks on.
• In recent months: fire officials told The Times of India that more than 50 incidents involving hotfix plastic had been reported from different parts of Surat in three to four months. Our report on the hotfix plastic waste fires at the Limbayat plant and Punagam heap covers this pattern.

What residents and others say

An environmental activist has moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT) over the repeated fires, pollution and alleged non-compliance with norms at the site, and asked it to order a report from SMC and GPCB and an independent assessment of air pollution and fire risk (The Indian Express). The activist told the paper that residents of Bhimrad, Khajod, Sarsana, Dipli, Dundi, Bhudiya, Jiyav and Gabheni villages are facing breathing problems. GPCB’s Surat regional chairman said SMC had been told to prepare a plan so that fires do not recur and to share what action it has taken. SDB authorities have reportedly written to SMC about the repeated fires, and a diamond industrialist told The Times of India that traders have asked for years for the site to be shifted. All of these are statements and allegations, not findings.

What is not known

• What started the fire, and whether it was an accident or deliberate.
• How much material burned, how much smoke reached homes and offices, and whether any air quality or health data were recorded for 1 November.
• What happens next: the NGT’s response, any fresh GPCB action, and whether the site will be shifted or the hotfix waste handled separately.
• How hotfix plastic reached a municipal dumping site, and who is responsible for disposing of it properly.

What the incident teaches

A dumping site is a pile of fuel, and plastic from the textile trade makes it a much hotter fuel. Once the fire gets below the surface it can smoulder for days and give out smoke long after the flames are gone, as it did in March. The people who pay for this are those who live downwind, and in Surat that now includes a new business district. The repeat pattern, three or five fires in a year and 50-odd hotfix plastic fires across the city, points to a handling and disposal problem more than a bad day. Our guide on the Neasden waste-site fire in London shows how a waste site fire is fought and how smoke is handled, and our Surat city safety guide lists emergency numbers and local risks.

Safety steps for residents and businesses nearby

These are general practices, not findings about Khajod.

• When smoke is heavy, stay indoors with doors and windows shut, and switch off fans or air conditioners that pull in outside air if the smell is strong. Keep children, older people and anyone with asthma, heart or lung trouble inside. Our guide on smoke from a nearby fire explains how to choose your next step from local instructions.
• If you must go out, a well-fitted N95-type mask helps against fine smoke particles; an ordinary cloth or surgical mask does not do much, and no mask helps against gases. Our guide to breathing safely and respirators explains the limits.
• See a doctor if you have burning eyes or throat, cough, breathlessness or chest tightness that does not settle. Keep inhalers and regular medicines handy.
• Keep away from the fire and the road to it. Fire tenders and water tankers need the lane clear. Do not go to film.
• Textile units and workshops: do not throw hotfix sheets, backing paper or film into the general garbage or burn them. They are highly inflammable. Ask SMC or GPCB which authorised route takes industrial plastic waste, and store the waste away from heat and ignition.
• Report open burning or illegal dumping of industrial waste to the civic body or GPCB, and call 101 or 112 if you see flames. Our guide to emergency numbers in India explains who to call.
• Offices and societies near a dump should include smoke in their emergency plan: who closes windows and shuts air intakes, where people go if the air gets bad, and who talks to the authorities.