Parliament Question: Fire in Coal Depot

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COAL LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4113 ANSWERED ON 12.08.2026 Fire in Coal Depot †4113. Smt. Dhanorkar Pratibha Suresh: Will the Minister of COAL be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware of the major fire that has been raging for the past one week at the coal depot in the Ballarpur Area (Sasti Sub-Area) resulting in the loss of lakhs of tonnes of coal and if so, the estimated economic loss caused by the said fire; (b) whether any high level inquiry committee has been constituted to investigate the incident and if so, the details thereof; (c) the steps taken by the Government to mitigate the adverse impact of the fire on air quality and the health of the local residents; and (d) the scientific measures and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) being formulated to extinguish the fire and prevent the recurrence of such incidents in future? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR COAL & MINES (SHRI SATISH CHANDRA DUBEY) (a) and (b): Minor spontaneous heating was observed in the coal stock at the Ballarpur Area (Sasti Sub-Area), which was immediately controlled with suitable arrangements. As the minor spontaneous heating was controlled immediately, there was no loss of coal. No high-level inquiry committee has been constituted to investigate the incident. (c): As the incident of spontaneous heating was minor and controlled immediately with suitable arrangements, no adverse effect on air quality has been reported in the Regular Environment Monitoring (REM) system. REM gives real-time monitoring of any changes in the air quality. (d): The following scientific measures and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been formulated: • Dome-shaped coal stock is maintained. • Height of coal stock is maintained below 3 m. • Liquidation policy of First in, First out (FIFO) is followed. • Fire hydrant at strategic locations with constant water supply arrangements are maintained round the coal stock. • Formation of firefighting organisation is ensured as per statute. • Adequate coal transportation contract (1.5 times) is adhered to. • Quality inspection is done to detect early signs of spontaneous heating. *****