Cylinder blasts in Davanagere, 1 Injured

Davanagere: A fire broke out on Monday in a building on the outskirts of H Kalpanahalli in Davanagere taluk, where cooking gas cylinders were stored. More than 15 cylinders exploded, leaving one person injured.

The injured, identified as Anil, 30, was admitted to Chigateri District Hospital. The explosions were so powerful that cylinders were flung up to 200m away, and the building’s roof was completely blown off.The storage site, located in an areca plantation owned by Doggalli Shivakumar, had been rented by Anil. Allegations have surfaced that cylinders were being stored illegally and sold on the black market. The incident reportedly occurred while domestic-use cylinders were being transferred into commercial cylinders.The fire is believed to have started around 2pm, after which cylinders began exploding in quick succession, triggering panic among workers in nearby fields. Several cylinders that exploded landed in plantations, near a canal, and close to houses.As villagers were too frightened to approach the site, they alerted the fire and emergency services. “I had just returned from farm work, had lunch, and was resting when we heard a loud explosion. We rushed outside and saw flames and smoke rising high. Cylinders were bursting like bombs,” eyewitness Nagaraj said.Firefighting operations began around 2.30 pm and continued until 6pm.