BARIPADA: Three persons including a patient sustained injuries after an oxygen cylinder exploded in the medicine store of Kuliana community health centre (CHC) in Mayurbhanj’s Bangiriposi on Friday night. The injured are CHC’s driver Rupak Singh, contractual staff Damodar Patra and patient Purnachandra Barik. The explosion took place after a fire broke out in the CHC’s medicine store.
Sources said some staff first noticed a fire in a portion of the medicine store. Before any preventive step could be taken, the fire engulfed the entire store. All of a sudden, one of the three oxygen cylinders kept in the store exploded. Singh, Patra and Barik, who were present near the store, were hit by an electricity pole which was uprooted due to the impact of the blast. The trio sustained injuries and was immediately treated at the CHC by doctors.
On being informed, fire services personnel rushed to the CHC from Baripada town and doused the blaze. Fire officer Bhabendra Kumar Dey said preliminary inquiry revealed that the CHC had no fire safety mechanism. It is suspected that either improper housekeeping or an electric short circuit in the medicine store might have caused the fire.
Official sources said medicine worth lakhs of rupees and important documents of the CHC were destroyed in the fire. A senior official of Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital said the Health Department will send adequate medicine stock to Kuliana CHC from the headquarters soon.