From Our Correspondent
TURA: A powerful gas explosion in a locality of Tura on Saturday morning led to a fire that destroyed several rooms of a house. Howver, no one was hurt in the fire.
The incident took place around 9:30 in the morning in a house belonging to one Phillip A Sangma when the LPG cylinder explosion occured at Spring Hills locality of Chandmari in Tura.
A leaking gas cylinder left inside a room by his tenants, who had gone home for the Christmas holidays, triggering the powerful explosion.
The explosion was so powerful that it blew a hole right through the RCC concrete roof of the house and caused a fire that totally destroyed four adjoining rooms with tin sheeting roof. Three other rooms sustained partial damage.
Fortunately, there was no one in the house when the explosion happened.
The fire caused by the explosion was quickly contained and prevented from spreading to nearby houses by the quick reaction of the fire and emergency service of the Tura police which dispatched two fire brigade trucks to douse the flames.
“Within 8 minutes of receipt of the distress call, our fire tenders were dispatched. It was a miracle no one was hurt,” said district police chief MGR Kumar who lauded his team for the quick response.
It is suspected that the gas cylinder left behind by the occupants of the house before their departure may have been leaking causing the inflammable liquid propelled gas to accumulate gradually in the room and leading to an explosion in due course of time.
Leaking cylinders have caused destruction to property in the recent past in Garo Hills.
One of the main causes has been attributed to people leaving gas cylinders next to untended fire in kitchens.
Authorities advise the public to always switch off their gas knobs and to leave extra refill cylinders away from kitchens in secluded rooms far from fire and electrical devices to prevent any accidents.
Another problem is with gas companies that seldom check the containers for leaks at the time of refill and delivery.
Last year, a family at Chibragre village lost their family home when a cylinder exploded while they were working in their paddy fields.
A fire left untended near their gas cylinder is suspected to have caused the explosion which destroyed the whole house.
