Four injured in fire at cylinder godown in Mumbai

Four people were injured onWednesday morning after a major fire broke out in a godown insuburban Andheri which caused LPG cylinders stored there toexplode, officials said, adding some neighbourhood houses alsosuffered damage.

The blaze erupted around 9.40 am due to a cylinderblast in the godown located on Yari Road in Versova area ofthe western suburb, they said.

Four people were injured and they taken to the nearbyCooper Hospital, officials said, adding that the fire was putout after four hours around 1.30 pm.

Two of the four injured persons sustained 40 per centburns while another two sustained 60 per cent injuries.

A civic official said 16 fire brigade vehicles,including water jetties, were used for fire fighting.

According to officials, several LPG cylinders werestored in the godown and many of them burst while the blazewas being doused.

The explosions caused panic in the area.

Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar and deputy Mayor SuhasWadkar visited the spot and later Cooper Hospital.

The mayor also spoke to the residents whose housessuffered damage in the fire, and directed officials to paythem suitable compensation.

''It is wrong to store cooking gas cylinders in aresidential area which poses risk to the life of people. Aprobe will be conducted and a strict action will be takenagainst the guilty,'' the mayor said.

She also appealed to the citizens to report anyillegal storage of highly-inflammable materials to the Mayor'soffice, and assured action.

A standard procedure will soon be put in place toavoid such incidents in future, Pednekar added.