BIRGUNJ, Dec 20: The inferno that engulfed Super Gas Industry in Birgunj metropolitan city has been brought under control almost after eight hours.

A team of 12 firefighters from Manoj Gas Udyog Pvt. Ltd. nearby extinguished the inferno within 10 minutes, police said.

Meanwhile, the Association of LP Gas Industry has formed a five-member probe committee to investigate the cause of fire at Super Gas Industry.

Manoj Das, the proprietor of the Manoj Gas Udyog, who arrived at the incident site, had called his contingency team of firefighters to bring the blazing fire under control.

Earlier, a technical team from India had suggested that the fire would die on its own after the gas exhausted.

However, the fire did not seem to die down immediately due to vehicles’ tires that were still blazing on.

The property damaged by the fire is yet to be assessed.

Two firefighters - Yadav Adhikari and Madhusudhan Mishra - were burnt to death while three others sustained severe injured as a massive fire engulfed Buhabari-based Super Gas Industry at the wee hours of Wednesday.

The fire had started after a cooking gas cylinder suddenly exploded promoting evacuation of the settlements to avoid human casualties. Injured Sanjib Nepal and Arun Kumar Mahato have been airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment after primary treatment at a local hospital.

Even though fire fighters from both Nepal and India teamed up to control the fire, they could not proceed toward the plant. Earlier, a fire brigade was charred in an attempt to control the fire.  

The municipality office had informed of a gas leakage to the fire brigade at 5:30 am. There had been no fire at the time. It is assumed that the carbon monoxide from the vehicle’s silencer sparked a flame and that led to the explosion.

“I was going to the cowshed when I heard screams of a blazed man running. He was bleeding and his clothes were all burnt,” Harendra Patel, a local, said, adding that by the time a local had provided clothes, an ambulance had arrived. The fire started at 6:30 am today and explosions were heard until 8:20 am.

When the explosions ended, the fire continued blazing and the area was covered in smog.

 
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