Deafening explosions awoke residents of Nayanahalli in Chikkaballapura district in the wee hours of Monday after two trucks loaded with 900 LPG cylinders went up in flames. Many crashed as far as 500 metres from the accident site, a godown attached to SLN HP Gas Agencies, the Times of India reported.
Police said that despite such a huge accident, no one was injured as no one was inside the vehicles, and the godown was located in an isolated place with very few buildings in the neighbourhood, reports by Deccan Herald and TOI said.
Around 12.30am, an LPG cylinder in one of the trucks accidentally caught fire and soon it was engulfed in flames which spread to the other truck, the TOI report said.
The police and firemen from Chikkaballapur, Sidalaghatta and Srinivasapura, reached the spot after being informed and doused the flames, a report by DNA said.
Munikrishna, a worker at a pump house, was the first to witness the blasts. He informed Srinivas, the gas cylinder dealer, who rushed to the site and called the fire department, the TOI report said.
The firemen, who arrived at the spot cut off the power supply in the area and brought down the flames within five hours, the TOI report added.
According to Subramanyam, zonal chief of sales, HP Gas, such incidents occur very rarely and only when cylinders are being transported from one place to another. Stationary trucks loaded with cylinders catching fire is an unusual occurrence, he was quoted as saying by TOI.
A thorough investigation will be conducted into the matter, Subramanyam told TOI.
Chintamani Rural police circle inspector told TOI that residents of a hostel near the site had gone home during the weekend and a major tragedy was averted.