An IT employee died and three others sustained injuries following an LPG cylinder explosion which triggered a fire at a paying guest (PG) accommodation in Bengaluru’s Kundalahalli Monday evening, the HAL police said, adding that they have registered a case and launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the explosion.
Officers identified the deceased as Ballari native Aravind, 23, son of Manjunath K, who worked as a senior analyst at a private software firm in Whitefield. He suffered severe burn injuries and succumbed during treatment.
The three injured are currently undergoing treatment at Brookfield Hospital and are reported to be in stable condition. They have been identified as Venkatesh, 28, from Kurnool; Vishal Verma, 23, from Uttarakhand; and C V Goel, 25, a woman from Uttarakhand.
According to investigators, the blast occurred at around 6.30 pm at Seven Hills Sai Co-Living PG, located within HAL police station limits. A commercial gas cylinder exploded in the kitchen area, triggering a massive fire that engulfed parts of the building with thick smoke. Residents in the area immediately alerted the fire department.
The six-storeyed building, which has 43 rooms, was quickly evacuated by the police while fire and rescue personnel rushed to the scene and brought the flames under control. The police said there are around 40 occupants in the PG, but they are yet to ascertain how many were present when the incident took place.
Authorities are examining whether safety regulations concerning the use of commercial LPG cylinders were properly followed in the building.