Mysuru:  Residents went panic when shrubs on a vacant site near Axis Bank on Vishwamanava Double Road in Kuvempunagar here were allegedly set on fire by a few miscreants yesterday with dense smoke billowing from the blaze.

Sensing danger, Advocate Venugopal, residing in an apartment nearby, informed the Fire Brigade personnel who immediately arrived on the spot and doused the fire preventing any damage to nearby buildings.

The residents have expressed an apprehension that there were many vacant sites in city filled with shrubs and any mischief by a few miscreants can trigger fire.

The situation will be more alarming in summer. Neither MUDA nor MCC is worried about such hazardous vacant sites. MCC collects tax from vacant site owners to maintain cleanliness but it is only on paper.

It is high time MCC and MUDA should discuss with the owners of vacant sites on a possible catastrophe of fire, opine   the residents.