Three hotel staff injured in LPG gas cylinder blast

Several others including a few patrons sustained minor injuries

An explosion in a restaurant early Saturday evening on the busy CMH Road in Indiranagar caused panic among residents, passers-by and owners of commercial establishments. Seven people were injured in the explosion caused by an LPG leakage. Three hotel employees who were in the kitchen at the time of the explosion sustained severe burn injuries and were taken to St. John’s Hospital while four others including a few patrons escaped with minor injuries .

The blast occurred at around 4.37 pm. Fortunately, a few staff members realised that there was a leakage and alerted the management to evacuate customers. “They suspected that the safety valve of the cylinder was malfunctioning. They returned to examine it when the blast occurred due to a flame from a kitchen stove that had not been switched off,” said Hemanth Kumar K, District Fire Officer. The resulting ball of fire shattered the glass partition. 

Two tenders with seven fire and rescue personnel led by DFO Kumar were part of the operation. There were four additional cylinders found in the kitchen. Police and fire and emergency personnel are waiting for the report from the Forensic Science Laboratory to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.