Cylinder burst in fire in shop, goods worth Rs 40 lakh destroyed

Balodabazar. Goods worth lakhs of rupees were burnt to ashes in a fire late night in two shops located on Mandi Road in the city. The cylinder kept in the kitchen care and welding shop adjacent to the hardware shop also exploded. By nightfall there was no loss of life but both the shops were completely burnt to ashes. About nine tankers of the fire department reached the spot and brought the fire under control after tireless efforts. The incident is being reported around 2.30 in the night. Shopkeeper Vinod Parwani has got a big shock due to the fire in the hardware shop. The paint, varnish, plastic tarpaulin, mesh and paint making machine worth about Rs 30 to 40 lakh kept in the shop have been completely burnt to ashes and there is a huge loss. The shopkeeper has suffered. The fire also reached the kitchen care and welding shop adjacent to the hardware shop. Due to which the domestic gas cylinder kept there burst and a big explosion occurred. By nightfall there was no loss of life due to the blast and a major accident was averted. Goods worth about Rs 5 lakh kept in the shop were burnt to ashes. Prima facie the cause of the fire is being said to be short circuit. However, the real reason will be known only after investigation. For the time being, a major loss of life was avoided. On receiving information about the incident, Kotwali police station also reached the spot and controlled the situation.