By Avijit Biswas
Bhagalpur: A major fire followed by explosion in a house located in Sikandarpur Harijan Tola under Mojahidpur police station of city led to serious panic and chaos in locality in early hours today. The intensity of fire could be gauged by the fact the high flames and smoke caused by the fire was witnessed by people residing in number of adjoining localities.
Despite high intensity of fire no one was injured in the incident barring few onlookers who sustained minor injury while trying to flee from site of fire as sound of explosion led to chaos in locality.
As per available information followed by sound of explosion fire broke out in house of one Pawan Sah at around 9am this morning. Before anybody could realize the cause of explosion the house was engulfed in fire.
As per local residents Kerosene and Mobil oil (lubricant) had been kept stored in house in huge quantity. The containers in which Kerosene and Mobil oil had been stored started exploding after fire broke out in the house. The high intensity sound of explosion was reason behind panic and chaos in locality.
The fire could be controlled in time before it could spread in other houses in locality due to initial effort of local resident and subsequently due to effort of fire brigade. Since house where fire broke is located in a lane the fire brigade personnel had to face tough time in reaching fire tenders at place of fire.
In beginning fire tenders of relatively small size were sent to place of incident. However small fire tenders failing to prove effective big fire tenders were somehow reached to the place of incident. Though fire could be controlled with efforts of local residents and fire brigade however the house was almost completely gutted.
It is said Kerosene and Mobil oil had been kept stored in containers of 50 liter capacity. However this could not be confirmed officially. It could not be also confirmed officially whether Kerosene and Mobil oil had been illegally kept stored in house.
How fire started in house is also not clear yet. The local residents alleged Sah in whose house fire broke out is possibly involved in some sort of clandestine business related to supply of Kerosene and Mobil oil.
