A major fire broke out in Pimpri Chinchwad city's Tathawade area in Maharashtra on Sunday night after multiple LPG cylinders exploded, triggering a panic among local people, as per the fire officials, as reported by the news agency PTI. According to police and officials of the fire department, it is suspected that LPG was being illegally filled into the cylinders from a tanker. A couple of buses belonging to a nearby college also caught fire due to the explosion, , they said. No casualties were reported due to the incident.
The incident took place at around 10:30 pm and preliminary information suggests that four to five LPG cylinders exploded, the officials said. The tanker containing the LPG, however, remained unaffected, they added. According to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Fire Department, six fire engines reached the spot and the fire is completely under control. He added that the loud explosions triggered a panic among the locals.
In another incident, 12 people were charred to death after a major fire broke out at a firecracker godown-cum-shop in Attibele in Anekal taluk in Bengaluru on Saturday, police said, as reported by the news agency PTI. Four persons, including the shop owner, sustained burn injuries and were given treatment. However, one of them who received serious burn injuries has been referred to another hospital, they said.
Most of them who died were employees working in the firecracker godown-cum-shop, police said, adding efforts are being made to ascertain the identity of the deceased. The incident took place at around 3.30 pm while unloading firecracker cartons from a transport vehicle, police said, adding fire-fighters are at the spot conducting a search operation to ascertain if there are more bodies.