COIMBATORE: In a tragic incident, 12 LPG cylinders exploded, triggering a massive fire at a temporary housing unit for migrant workers at Nava India in the city on Saturday afternoon.
The migrant workers worked at a construction company and were staying in temporary shelter near their work site. The blast occurred in one of the shelters allotted as a canteen when a worker reportedly switched on an LPG cylinder to prepare tea.
Despite efforts to extinguish the blaze, the fire spread rapidly to nearby shelters, causing the LPG cylinders there to explode one after another. The workers managed to flee the shelter before the explosions, which occurred with loud blasts, leaving residents and passers-by shocked.
Following the incident, five fire tenders were pressed into service, and the blaze was brought under control in two and a half hours.
"The team also retrieved nearly 14 LPG cylinders that had not exploded, preventing a major mishap. As a precautionary measure, we stationed four ambulances at the spot and evacuated the migrant workers. However, no injuries or casualties were reported," said a Fire and Rescue Services official.
The official also said that 67 of the 127 temporary sheds were damaged in the incident.