Modi warns of fires in extreme heat

NEW DELHI: India is getting too hot too early, raising the risk of fires, Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned yesterday, as New Delhi sweltered in extreme heat and a burning landfill on the outskirts of the capital spewed toxic smoke.

Firefighters were struggling to extinguish a blaze at the Bhalswa landfill site, a hillock rising above the edge of the city. Fumes from the burning waste forced a nearby school to close on Tuesday. Many of the pupils’ parents work as trash pickers at the site.

The cause of the fire was under investigation, though such incidents are common during India’s scorching summers, when temperatures regularly surpass 40°C.