ALERT FIRE FIGHTERS CONTROLS BIG FIRE IN 2HOURSGangtok: Alert fire fighters from Sikkim Police averted a major disaster here this evening when they battled with a blaze in a local petrol pump and brought it under control before it could reach the underground fuel tanks.
A one-storeyed building housing the billing counter and an office was razed to the ground, but the four tanks, with a combined capacity of 3,000 litre of petrol and diesel, and the fuel dispensers were spared.
There were no casualties.
The incident took place around 7pm at the Khangri petrol pump on NH 31A near Convoy Ground in Tadong. Traffic on the highway was stopped for over an hour and a half, the time it took to put out the fire.
People from nearby buildings were evacuated as the petroleum products and lubricants stocked in the office of the petrol pump went up in flames, sending huge balls of fire up in the sky.
“By the time we reached the spot, the fire was raging,” said K.B. Gurung, the assistant sub-inspector of the fire services. Gurung was on one of the two fire engines that arrived within minutes of being informed.
More fire engines from Singtam and Rangpo were called as standby. The fire fighters used foam to put out the blaze.
While investigations are on, it has been alleged that the fire started from an unattended gas stove used by the employees of the petrol pump for cooking. Some of the fire fighters present on the scene said the blaze spread further when a cooking gas cylinder kept inside the office exploded. Others spoke of a short circuit as the likely cause.
Senior police officials, including the director-general of police, C.M. Ravindran and the inspector-general of police (law and order), S.D. Negi, visited the spot this evening along with the district collector (East), Vishal Chauhan.
However there was little doubt that the pump had little or no fire safety measures. Superintendent of police (East) M.S. Tuli told Media after visiting the spot that the police would register a case against the proprietor of the petrol pump.
A one-storeyed building housing the billing counter and an office was razed to the ground, but the four tanks, with a combined capacity of 3,000 litre of petrol and diesel, and the fuel dispensers were spared.
There were no casualties.
The incident took place around 7pm at the Khangri petrol pump on NH 31A near Convoy Ground in Tadong. Traffic on the highway was stopped for over an hour and a half, the time it took to put out the fire.People from nearby buildings were evacuated as the petroleum products and lubricants stocked in the office of the petrol pump went up in flames, sending huge balls of fire up in the sky.
“By the time we reached the spot, the fire was raging,” said K.B. Gurung, the assistant sub-inspector of the fire services. Gurung was on one of the two fire engines that arrived within minutes of being informed.
More fire engines from Singtam and Rangpo were called as standby. The fire fighters used foam to put out the blaze.
While investigations are on, it has been alleged that the fire started from an unattended gas stove used by the employees of the petrol pump for cooking. Some of the fire fighters present on the scene said the blaze spread further when a cooking gas cylinder kept inside the office exploded. Others spoke of a short circuit as the likely cause.
Senior police officials, including the director-general of police, C.M. Ravindran and the inspector-general of police (law and order), S.D. Negi, visited the spot this evening along with the district collector (East), Vishal Chauhan.However there was little doubt that the pump had little or no fire safety measures. Superintendent of police (East) M.S. Tuli told Media after visiting the spot that the police would register a case against the proprietor of the petrol pump.
