Three individuals were injured after a fire broke out at a gas stove repair centre that was also carrying out illegal cooking cylinder refilling work in Laxman Vihar, Sector 3A, on Sunday night, fire department officials said on Monday.
The blaze gutted the shop and also damaged two neighbouring establishments, officials said. A scooter and a motorcycle parked on the road in front of the shop were reduced to ashes as the fire spread rapidly.
According to fire officials, the shop was operating in a densely populated residential area, which heightened the risk to life and property. “Multiple cooking cylinders and illegally filled gas stoves were kept inside the shop which had increased the intensity of the fire,” said Narender Singh Yadav, fire officer of Bhim Nagar fire station.
Yadav said that the fire broke out due to leakage during the repair and refilling work, which quickly engulfed the entire shop. “All the occupants and residents in the neighbouring buildings were evacuated as a precautionary measure,” he added.
He said that three persons, including the shop owner, sustained burn injuries while attempting to pull out items such as cooking cylinders from the shop. “They were rushed to the civil hospital for treatment. Condition of one of the injured persons was said to be serious,” he said.
Soon after receiving an alert, the fire department dispatched at least three fire tenders to the spot to control the blaze, officials said.
Inspector Kuldeep Singh, station house officer of the Sector 9 police station, said that police had restricted the movement of people on the road. “We will take a report from the fire department for further necessary action,” he said.