Mumbai: Locals allege illegal business in Yari Road building after cylinder blast

Firefighters douse the fire in Versova on Wednesday. Pics/Anurag Ahire

Four people were injured following a cylinder blast inside an LPG storage facility at Yari Road in Versova on Wednesday morning. The injured were being treated at Cooper hospital. Firefighters doused the blaze by 1.30 pm, and recovered hundreds of damaged cylinders. The BMC said it will raze the building which has been badly damaged.

Firefighters contain the blaze at the godown in Versova on Wednesday

Those injured had sustained about 30 to 60 per cent burn injuries. Civic officials said they will pull down the ground plus one storey structure to prevent any further disaster. Fire Brigade officials said a part of a cylinder ended up inside an apartment in a nearby building following the explosion, leading to a small fire. However, no one was hurt there.

300 more cylinders found
They said they recovered about 300 damaged cylinders from the godown, and over 300 cylinders more from the neighbouring structure where empty containers were stored. The explosion was reported around 9.30 am and contained by afternoon.

Two firefighters carry away a damaged LPG cylinder

While the BMC is yet to ascertain if the legality of the building, Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar, who visited the site, said, "Even if it has a licence I will get it revoked, because such businesses should not be carried out in residential areas."

NCP leader Vishwanath Shetty, a local resident, said, "We heard the sound and rushed out to help. There were over 300 to 400 cylinders there, and fortunately the incident was a controlled one, otherwise else it would have impacted a larger area."

Locals allege illegal business
Locals claimed that a lot of illegal business was done here, like transfer of gas to small cylinders from big ones. However, the BMC officials said that it is yet to get the details, and as the owner is not available they will check the civic records and take action accordingly. A Fire Brigade official said, "Fortunately, there is no slum around or else it could have been the worst incident to tackle. The structure is, however, completely damaged."

Babita Kadu, wife of one of the victims Rakesh Kadu, told mid-day, "We live in Madh and my husband has been working here for almost eight years as the manager at the water filtration plant that is inside the building. He had gone for work in the morning when he and another person saw a fire break out. They immediately ran out, but still got injured. My husband has suffered burns on his hands and feet." Investigation is underway to find out whether a fire caused the cylinder blast, or the latter led to a blaze at the godown.

300
No. of LPG cylinders damaged in the incident