Catering unit blaze horror at Wanowrie apartment

PUNE: Members of over 40 families in an apartment at Boradenagar off Salunke Vihar Road had a close shave on Friday as a gas cylinder caught fire inside the godown of a catering firm operating from the ground floor of the building.
The accident could have been deadly as not only a dozen LPG cylinders were stacked inside the godown, several cars were parked barely 5ft from the spot where the fire broke out around 11.30am with a two-wheeler repair centre functioning right next to it.

An employee of Rehan Caterers sustained burn injuries on his hand. Muzammil Khan, 32, was taken to a private hospital and his condition is stable. The catering firm was operating without a no objection certificate from the central fire brigade and the godown did not have the basic safety equipment like a fire extinguisher.

The cylinder had developed a leak after Khan opened its nob and lighted a match stick to ignite a stove. It caught fire and the flames spread to the mezzanine floor of the society, Gulmohar Habitat Phase II.

A fire tender from the nearby Kondhwa sub-fire station reached the spot the flames were doused in around 30 minutes. "By then, items such as plastic and fibre trays and plates were charred. Our men sprayed water and removed cylinders to safety. The fire could have caused massive damage to the shops and flats," fireman Dilip Bibve said.

The ventilation outlets in the godown were also stuffed with goods.

Salman Khan, who runs the catering firm from the ground floor of an apartment opposite Gulmohar Habitat Phase II, said they had taken the 175sqft godown on rent five years ago.

Shivaji Wakale, who has a water purifier unit right next to the catering firm godown, had called the fire brigade on spotting the blaze.

"At least a dozen, or even more, cylinders were inside the godown. It was a miracle that the cylinders did not explode," he said.

The civic body has to take a call on the no-objection certificate that was not obtained by the catering firm. Senior inspector (Wanowrie police) Sayaji Gaware said a station diary has been registered about the incident.