Thursday, 05 October 2023 | PNS | DEHRADUN
A massive fire broke out due to gas cylinder explosions in the canteen of the temple committee on Rudraprayag- Kedarnath road near a temple in Gaurikund late on Tuesday night. No loss of life was reported in the incident, said the officials. They said that people told police that the fire first broke out in the canteen when food was being cooked where two out of six cylinders reportedly caught fire and exploded. It soon spread to other nearby shops.
The officials said that all pilgrims and staff were safe as everyone had come out of the building as soon as they heard the explosion. However, it damaged the luggage of some pilgrims and the building. The officials said that the sector officer of Gaurikund, Pankaj Rana called the district disaster control room around 11 PM and informed them about the incident. The teams of Fire services, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), District Disaster Response Force (DDRF) and police among others reached the spot after getting the information about the incident.
The fire was brought under control by the teams and all pilgrims and other people were shifted to a safe place in the wee hours of Wednesday. On the question of the cause of the fire, the police said that the canteen staff has said that fire broke out while cooking which led to the massive fire but they are yet to ascertain it. The police have started the investigation and will take action accordingly.
