Six persons, including five members of a family, were burnt when a fire broke out in their house after a blast in a gas cylinder in Jehangirabad on Sunday, said police. All the victims were rushed to the hospital. The condition of two of the injured persons, particularly a teenaged girl, is critical. Police said the incident occurred at the house of Ashfaq Khan at Ahir Mohalla in Jehangirabad.

The victim was getting his house painted when the incident occurred. Initial reports said Khan sent his daughter to the kitchen to make tea. No sooner did she turn on the gas, than there was an explosion, leading to the fire.

As fire engulfed the house, the local residents called the fire brigade. With the help of the neighbours, the injured victims were brought out of the house. Police sources said Khan’s 13-year-old daughter was severely burnt.

Apart from the family members, a visitor, Abhishek, also sustained burns. The household goods were badly burnt in the incident. Two small cylinders were recovered from the house after the fire. The possibility of gas refilling in the house was also being examined, as some residents suspected that it could have caused the fire.