A scrap warehouse in north Bengaluru’s R.T. Nagar went up in flames on Friday, with the fire spreading to adjoining properties, sources said.

The incident unfolded around 10.20 a.m. A source in the Fire and Emergency Services Department said a short circuit may have triggered a spark that led to the fire. However, the exact cause is yet to be ascertained. “Three fire tenders were dispatched, and it took over four hours to contain the blaze,” the officer said.

According to the officer, the situation was tense as a transformer was located close to the site of the fire, and several vehicles were also parked nearby. The incident once again exposed the hazards posed by garbage blackspots, as the fire spread to an adjacent site where a large garbage blackspot had formed.

Keerthika, a resident of the locality, told The Hindu that the blackspot had existed for a long time. “It is legacy waste that has been dumped there. Mounds of soil have also accumulated, and weeds have grown over them,” she said.