3 workers die in fire at Pune godown, major disaster averted

The incident could have led to a major disaster as a nearby godown had stocked 400 LPG cylinders. Fire officials' prompt action prevented the fire from spreading.

Pune:Three workers died after a fire broke out in a godown in Pune's Wagholi last night, fire brigade officials said. Four LPG cylinders exploded during the incident. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, officials said.

According to fire officials, the fire could have led to a major disaster as 400 gas cylinders were stocked in a nearby godown. The prompt action of fire brigade personnel helped in preventing the fire from spreading.

The incident took place at around 11.43 pm in Ubale Nagar in Pune. The godown contained decoration items that are used for setting up mandaps. This apart, some gas cylinders were also stored there. After getting information, fire brigade officials rushed to the spot. They said that the fire had broke out in the godown of 'shubh deckor' mandap. Nine fire tenders and water tankers were pressed into service to extinguish the fire.

Finally, after a lot of effort, fire officials managed to douse the fire. Bodies of three workers were found in the godown in severely burnt condition. Police sent the bodies for postmortem. The decoration items that were stocked in the godown were burnt down to ashes. After dousing the fire, a cooling operation has been started. Police are investigating into the incident.

In a similar incident in Pune yesterday, a fire broke out at a home appliances shop and spread to other adjoining shops leading to explosion on Pune-Satara Road. The owner of the shop and another person sustained injuries. ATS had launched an investigation into the incident.