Fire in Ahmedabad 'chawl' due to crackers, explosions in 5 gas cylinders

A fire broke out in a 'chawl' or tenement in Ahmedabad city apparently due to crackers, causing explosions in five gas cylinders kept in different rooms on Tuesday, but no casualty was reported, officials said.

The incident took place in the city's Sarangpur locality in the wee hours. The officials also said as many as 57 fire calls were received from across the city post-Diwali on Monday. "A chawl (old row tenement) with 11 rooms and located on the first floor caught fire that triggered blasts in five LPG cylinders kept in different rooms," said Divisional Fire Officer, Ahmedabad, Om Jadeja. The blaze, appeared to have been caused by firecrackers, started from three godowns storing plastic materials located on the ground floor of the building.

"Residents of the building escaped unhurt. It took nearly one-and-a-half hours to douse the flames as the approach road to the building was narrow, causing delay in movement of fire tenders," he said. In a separate incident on the city's outskirts, an automobile spare parts' shop was gutted in a blaze which was also prima facie caused due to firecrackers, Jadeja said, adding no one was injured. "A total of 57 post-Diwali fire calls were registered in Ahmedabad by the fire department. However, no casualty was reported," the officer said. Fire incidents were also reported in other cities of Gujarat. A furniture shop and a plywood outlet were gutted in Vadodara, while a locked flat in Surat caught fire, officials said. Several cases of people suffering burns due to bursting of firecrackers were reported in the state on the night of Diwali, said GVK EMRI, which runs ambulances through the 108 emergency service.