Four members of a family suffer severe burns after LPG leak triggers fire

Four members of a family, two of them children aged 9 and 15, suffered burns after a leakage in their cooking gas cylinder triggered a fire in their house in west Delhi’s Ravi Nagar Extension on Wednesday, police said

Four members of a family, two of them children aged 9 and 15, suffered burns after a leakage in their cooking gas cylinder triggered a fire in their house in west Delhi’s Ravi Nagar Extension on Wednesday, police said. The injured persons are undergoing treatment at Safdarjung hospital and their condition is critical. They have between 30% and 80% burns, the police said.

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Additional deputy commissioner of police (west) Prashant Priya Gautam said on Wednesday, two calls were made to the police control room regarding the fire in a LPG (cooking gas) cylinder in a flat on the third floor of a building. A police team immediately reached the building and found that four members of a family had suffered burns and were rescued from the flat by locals.

The injured persons were identified by their first names as Shalender,45, his wife Koshlender,30, and their two children Rani,15, and Shubham,9. While Shalender and Rani suffered 80% burns, Koshlender received 30% and Shubham 40% burns. All of them were rushed to a nearby hospital, from where they were referred to Safdarjung Hospital as their condition was serious, the police said.

During the initial inquiry, the additional DCP said it was learnt that the husband and wife were replacing the empty gas cylinder with a filled one when the leak happened from the new cylinder and the gas spread quickly through the entire house.

“Someone may have tried to light the gas stove and the fire broke out and quickly engulfed the house. The exact reason will be known only when statements of the injured persons are recorded. They are currently not fit enough to give their statements,” said a police officer, asking not to be named.

Additional DCP Gautam said a case of negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible substance and causing hurt by an act endangering life or personal safety of others was registered under the Indian Penal Code sections 285 and 337 was registered and investigation has been initiated.

A forensic team also visited the spot and collected evidence that would help the police ascertain the exact cause of the fire, the police said.