20230824 Diesel tank explosion triggers massive fire in shopping mart, two suffer burns
India Aug 24 2023 “Apartment houses” “Building” “Stores”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 1 to 9
Diesel tank explosion triggers massive fire in shopping mart, two suffer burns
Updated: 2023-08-24
LUCKNOW: Two men sustained injuries after a massive fire broke out in second-floor of a mart located on Ring Road in Vikasnagar. The incident led to a stampede-like situation and customers rushed out.
Police said that massive fire broke out in the diesel tank kept near the generator after a spark generated from the welding work carried out nearby led to the explosion in the tank.
The cars parked on the roadside caught fire as the diesel spread around the area after spilling from the tank.
The staff of a nearby hotel took on the fire using their presence of mind and stopped it from spreading further by using fire extinguishers and water.
Nine fire tenders were roped in to contain the fire completely in three hours. Two firemen were injured as broken glass fell over them.
Manager of the mart, Raja Tiwari said that a welder was called to join the broken iron grill on the side of the mart.
“Near the place where the work was to be done, there was a diesel tank placed between the two generators. While welding a spark flew and fell over the top of the tank and a fire broke out,” he explained. Fire safety officer (FSO) Indiranagar Shatrughan Sinha said that the staff of Hotel Vijay Paradise rushed to help when the fire broke out in the mart.
Hotel manager Balwant Singh, maintenance supervisor Ranjit Chauhan and staff Neeraj, Vishnutosh Shukla, Krishna, Ajay and other employees prevented the fire from spreading further with the help of fire extinguishers and water pipes. Manager Balwant said that it took 51 fire extinguishers to extinguish the fire in the cars.
The FSO said that there is a petrol pump on the other side of the Mega Mart and if the hotel staff had not come forward to contain the fire, a major mishap would have taken place.
Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Lucknow, Mangesh Kumar said that firemen Irshad Ahmed, Rajneesh and Ashish Pandey entered inside wearing fie proof jackets.
He added that firemen Ashish Pandey and a constable Manjeet Singh suffered injuries as glass panes fell over them.
Web Source: The Times of India