TWO KILLED IN FIRE AT CNG KIT GODOWN IN DELHI

NEW DELHI: Two persons were killed and eight were injured when fire broke out following blasts in a mini truck loaded with chemical drums and in the warehouse of a transport company outside which the vehicle had been parked in outer Delhi’s Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar on Tuesday afternoon.

Fire department officials and police suspect the blast in the compressed natural gas (CNG) kit of the mini truck was triggered by a fire in one of the chemical drums that was reportedly leaking. The explosion caused a fire that engulfed the transport company’s warehouse where miscellaneous items and bigger drums filled with chemicals had been kept. The blaze caused the explosions in the chemical cans as well, the officials said.

Chief fire officer Atul Garg said the impact of the blasts were such that the mini truck was mangled almost beyond recognition and its damaged parts were scattered over several metres in the area. “At least five injured people were rescued from the ground floor of the godown while three were found injured outside. The two-storey godown building is badly damaged because of the blasts. Some adjacent buildings have also developed cracks,” said Garg.

According to Garg, the fire control room received a call at 4.21pm informing it of the blast and fire. Around 40 firefighters, along with 15 fire tenders, reached the spot. “The fire was not big and it was controlled within an hour. However, the rescue operation and the cooling process continued till 7.30pm,” said Garg. Deputy commissioner of police (Rohini) Rajneesh Gupta said the victims were identified as 51-year-old Kuldeep Singh and 45-year-old Bal Kishan. He was a worker and was unloading the chemical drums from the mini truck when the blast took place.