Mumbai: A patch of grass near the main
runway caught fire at the Mumbai airport but was quickly
doused by the airport fire service personnel.
The incident took place at around 2 pm when `bird
scarers` were bursting crackers to chase away birds that pose
problems in flight operations.
A Mumbai International Airport Limited spokesperson
confirmed the incident and said operations remain unaffected.
"It was a small grass fire on the airside, which has been
put off. The operations at the airport remain normal," Mumbai
Airport spokesperson said here.
"Fire crackers are burst to scare birds. During one such
exercise today, a patch of grass near the end of main runway
09x27 caught fire at around 2 pm. Two fire tenders were rushed
and the fire was put off soon," airport sources said.
Birds pose a serious problem at the Mumbai airport. The
airport authorities have employed over 40 bird scarers to keep
them away from the runway. These personnel burst crackers at
regular intervals to scare away the birds so that they do not
disrupt the flights movement.
PTI
