A major fire broke out at the marshalling yard close to the 10th Gate of the Chennai Harbour on Tuesday. The fire, which broke out at around 9 a.m. spread to the heaps of coal stored in the vicinity.In no time, around 70,000 tonnes of coal caught fire and the whole area was engulfed in a thick cloud of smoke. Around eight fire tenders belonging to the State Government and four from private-owned ones were pressed into service to fight the ravaging flames.