Gas cylinder explosion rips apart a Dhaba in Karnataka's Manipal

Udupi: A gas cylinder exploded triggering a major fire at the Delhi Daba Hotel in Udupi City Municipal Council building near Canara Bank in Manipal on Thursday evening.

Due to the impact of explosion, the entire hotel was gutted causing an estimated loss of Rs eight to Rs nine lakh, sources in fire department said.

According to sources, the blaze is believed to have started due to a short circuit in the hotel’s refrigerator. The fire quickly spread to the POP interiors, engulfing the entire structure within minutes.

The hotel staff managed to escape unharmed.

There were six gas cylinders stored inside the hotel. One of them, a 19.2 kg cylinder, is said to have exploded due to intense heat from the spreading fire, triggering panic in the area.

Fire and Emergency Services personnel from Udupi and Kundapura rushed to the spot soon after receiving the alert.

Under the leadership of Fire Officer Vinayak Kalgutkar and Assistant Fire Station Officer Ravindra, a team of 10 firefighters carried out swift operations to douse the blaze and prevent further explosions. The fire was successfully contained within 20 minutes, fire officials said.

The refrigerator, cooker, furniture, and all kitchen equipment were completely destroyed in the incident.

Fire officials are assessing the full extent of the damage and investigating the reasons behind the short circuit.