896 LPG cylinders go off in Chintamani fire accident

A total of 896 LPG cylinders exploded following a fire accident in a lorry filled with the cylinders at a godown of SLN Gas Agency on Dibburahalli Road on the outskirts of the town on Sunday midnight.

Two lorries and and an SUV (Bolero) were gutted in the incident. The agency is owned by Srinivas, a relative of Lok Sabha member K H Muniyappa.

Fire personnel from Chintamani, Shidlaghatta and Srinivasapur rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze before it could cause a major tragedy. Splinters from the cylinders were found up to a distance of half a km. Though the roof of the godown was blown away by the blast, 108 cylinders stocked in the godown remained intact.

There was no one in the lorry at the time of the fire. Munikrishna, who resides nearby, informed the police on hearing the explosion. The police were quick to inform the fire personnel, who arrived at the spot and prevented further damage. Residents in the nearby houses rushed out to safer places. Gas agency authorities put the loss of cylinders and vehicles at Rs 70 lakh, while the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.