A lorry laden with LPG refills caught fire and the cylinders exploded one after the other on the National Highway No.44 near Enugumarri in Kurnool District in the early hours of Thursday and threatened to cause huge destruction.
The truck was on its way from Vadiampet in Anantapur District from the HP filling station to a delivery point at Nandikotkur. The truck driver and helper, who noticed the fire jumped to safety after which the cylinders started exploding one after the other. The truck was carrying 400 cylinders.
The residents of Enugumarri where the mishap occurred ran away deserting their homes while the traffic was stranded to a length of several kilomers on both sides. The fire tenders could not venture close to the burning truck due to heavy flames and explosion of refills.
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According to reports, the flames also spread to a few haystacks in the village.