CHENNAI: A firefighter who was trying to douse a fire in a bakery here was killed as an LPG leak resulted in a sudden explosion and he was caught inside.
The tragic incident took place around 1 am Sunday at Kodungaiyur, a residential area in northern Chennai.
The fire left 47 more people with burn injuries of varying degrees. They are undergoing treatment.
Egaraj, who was attached to the Kodungaiyur fire station, was trying to put out the fire along with other personnel and local people when there was a sudden explosion due to a suspected LPG leak.
While Egaraj died on the spot, 47 people, including firemen and local residents who were fighting the fire, suffered burn injuries. Three of them are said to be in a critical condition.
A senior police officer said the control room received a call at around 12.30 am about a fire that had broken out at a bakery. Two fire tenders rushed to the spot.
"The men were trying to douse the fire when a gas cylinder burst injuring at least 46 people," said the police officer.
More fire tenders and ambulances were called and the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals. Ethiraj was declared dead soon after being taken to hospital.