<p>Landfill fires represent a major cause of environmental degradation and pose substantial health risks for the populations residing near the affected sites. This study investigates the characteristics of landfill fire at the Brahmapuram Municipal Solid Waste Treatment Plant (BMSWTP) in Kochi (March 2023) and the role of prevailing meteorology in mitigating its impact. The fire incidents occurred in two phases: the first phase from 04^th to 13^th March and the second phase from 19^th to 28^th March. Analysis indicates that the fire event caused a significant rise in pollution intensity during the first phase, with the increase of PM₂.₅ levels by 152%, PM₁₀ by 175%, and NO₂ and SO₂ by an alarming 440% and 420% compared to normal conditions. During the first phase, pollutants were dispersed towards the coastal ocean by the prevailing easterly wind, mitigating the impact of emissions. Further, the air quality improved by the middle of the month due to the considerable rainfall over the region that helped scavenge the pollutants. Results show that the maximum concentrations of PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ observed during the early morning hours are attributed to a shallower boundary layer and weak convective potential, resulting in increased atmospheric stability and trapping of pollutants. We document that the pollution from the landfill fire may have affected marine productivity in the southeastern Arabian Sea, as evidenced by the anomalous increase in chlorophyll-a concentrations, without the influence of the oceanic upwelling. The second phase of the landfill fire was characterised by westerly winds, which resulted in the dispersion of pollutants towards inland areas.</p>