60 cylinders in truck catch fire in Ghaziabad; some land on roofs, blast felt kilometers away

More than 60 cooking gas cylinders loaded in a truck caught fire near Bhopura Chowk on Loni Road in Ghaziabad, early Friday morning. The fire spread to nearby houses and vehicles before being extinguished by fire officials. As per reports, loud blasts were heard till around two to three kilometres away. However, no injuries or deaths were reported.

Firefighting Efforts and Evacuations

Chief Fire Officer Rahul Pal stated that fire services received the alert at 4:35 am. "Around 4.35 am we received information regarding a fire that broke out in a truck laden with LPG cylinders. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The police vacated the nearby houses. The fire had spread to 2-3 houses and some vehicles. The fire has been completely doused. No causality has been reported," he said.

Firefighters worked to bring the situation under control, and nearby houses were evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Residents Recall Explosions

Local residents reported hearing loud explosions as the fire spread. Sachin, a resident, said, "We suddenly heard loud explosions around 3-3.30 am. We rushed out of the house along with our children. The explosions in cylinders kept happening. There was a storage of wood nearby. Our house is in such bad shape now. Windows of the car have shattered. Cylinders that were thrown up in the air have landed at our house. The grills to the terrace are broken...Shutters of our shop and water tanker are damaged."

Another resident, Sandeep, described the impact of the explosions on his house. "...Three cylinders landed in the house. The cylinder landed even in the living room. You can imagine the pressure, that it landed on the first floor...The illegal wood godown here has no security...The children were so scared. It was difficult to rush out of here. We were all safe by God's grace," he told ANI.

Investigation Underway

Authorities are assessing the damage caused by the fire. Further investigation will determine the cause of the incident and any necessary safety measures.