LPG cylinder explodes, shop owner critically injured
The Statesman | 19 September 2025Two fire tenders brought the blaze under control within an hour at the shop in Raghunathpur. Panic gripped the area as the flames threatened nearby shops and utilities. Locals rescued the owner, Chandan Patra, and rushed him to hospital.
Police and fire brigade officials said the fire may have been caused by the illegal stocking and refilling of LPG cylinders. “Our men found eight LPG cylinders on the spot, besides one oxygen cylinder used for cycle repairs,” said Partha Pratim Ghosh, fire officer, Durgapur.
Indian Oil Corporation, the country’s largest cooking gas supplier, has expressed concern over increasing pilferage and illegal refilling of LPG cylinders in the South Bengal districts. It has urged the district police and administration to intervene.
Officials warned: “Illegal refilling operations, where small cylinders are filled from large ones, are particularly dangerous and can lead to explosions, serious injury and fatalities. Cylinders often explode during refilling if gas leaks mix with oxygen and meet an ignition source such as a spark or flame.”
