THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A gas leak caused a fire at a house near Vattiyoorkavu on Tuesday, resulting in severe injuries to one person.
The incident occurred at the residence of Bhaskaran Pillai at Chembukonam.
After a loud explosion around 11.45 am prompted locals to rush to the scene, they found Bhaskaran Pillai suffering from severe burns.
He was quickly transported to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital before personnel from the Fire and Rescue Services arrived. By the time emergency services reached the location, flames had spread from the kitchen to the adjacent work area, causing significant damage to the wall.
Firefighters from the Chengalchoola fire station worked for nearly an hour to bring the blaze under control. Preliminary investigations indicated that the fire was triggered by a gas leak. Fire officials believe the explosion occurred when the refrigerator restarted automatically, igniting the leaked gas.
The fire destroyed the refrigerator, microwave oven, and other kitchen appliances. A fire force official said, “Bhaskaran Pillai might have entered the kitchen after hearing the sound. If he had been there when the explosion happened, the situation could have been far worse.”
Two gas cylinders were present in the kitchen, with one propelled outside due to the explosion’s force. The blast was reportedly audible up to 300 metres away, and the estimated damage is around Rs 20 lakh. The rescue operation was led by officers Nithin Raj and Aneesh Kumar.