Five people were injured when a gas leak from a cylinder resulted in a fire in Chromepet on Friday.
The victims include a woman and a 10-year-old boy. However, authorities said, all the injured are out of danger.
Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services Department personnel said they received a call around 5.30 p.m. about a fire at a house in Kothandam Nagar. As there had also been calls to the police control room about a few people injured, a fire tender and a government ambulance rushed to the spot. But as the by-lanes leading to the house were very narrow, neither vehicle was able to get close to the house.
Chromepet police, who are investigating the incident, said a local gas agency had delivered the domestic LPG cylinder to the house of Manimaran, and his wife Pushpavathi, a couple of days ago. When the family suspected a leak, they informed the agency, which delivered a replacement cylinder on Friday afternoon.
As the second cylinder too developed a leak, the family lodged a complaint with the agency again. They also engaged the services of a local mechanic Kannan, who while testing the cylinder for leakages, lit a matchstick. A fire broke out and the house suffered extensive damage.
Manimaran and his wife Pushpavathi, the mechanic Kannan, a neighbour, Das and Ashik, Das’s 10-year-old son, sustained injuries. They were rushed to the Tambaram Taluk Government Hospital. While the couple was discharged after first aid, Kannan, Das and Ashik were referred to the the Government Kilpauk Hospital.
Keywords: Kothandam Nagar, gas leak, fire accident, Chromepet
Poor design of the cylinder head valve and the regulator is what makes them prone to leaks. The older design, e.g. pre-1980, in which the cylinder head valve could be closed manually by turning a small handwheel was much safer. It is a great pity that this defective design is still allowed, and gas manufacturing companies are not hauled up. Gas companies routinely blame users for these accidents. It's a relief that no one died in this particular accident, but one wonders how many thousands have died to date in other accidents. Why can't some NGOs (which habitually file PILs at the drop of a hat) move a Court of law on this issue? Why hasn't any Court of Law taken notice, suo motu, of these repeated and frequent mishaps, many of them result in deaths of citizens?
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