KOCHI: A major tragedy at Neerppara near Aryankavu in Ernakulam district has been averted following the timely intervention of fire and rescue officials after a fire was detected on a truck carrying LPG cylinders on Thursday morning. The driver's cabin of the truck was fully gutted in the fire, but there were no casualties.
According to fire and rescue officials, Rahul Raj, a truck driver who was passing through the Kottayam-Ernakulam route, stopped his vehicle after seeing smoke rising from the engine side of the truck and cut the power supply.
The incident happened around 10.15 am. The lorry was carrying around 50 empty cooking gas cylinders for refuelling at Udayamperoor plant and only the driver was in the vehicle during the incident. The lorry is owned by Hindustan Gas Agency, based in Kottayam.
Meanwhile, a fire and rescue service unit from Mulanthuruthy fire station rushed to the spot within minutes and doused the fire after about half-an-hour. The fire personnel cooled the cylinders for almost 30 minutes to avert any potential explosion as it was exposed to the heat.
"Though the cylinders were said to be empty, there would have been possibilities for an explosion. We pumped water and then sprayed foam. The driver, Rahul Raj, disconnected the power connection to the battery," said an official.
"It is learned that a short circuit from the battery led to the fire. The cylinders were empty. An inquiry is on," said A S Joji, District Fire Officer, who visited the spot.
Fire units from Tripunithura and Vaikom fire stations had also reached the spot. The cylinders and the lorry were shifted from the spot shortly after the incident.