A significant gas leak from a PNG pipeline triggered a fire outside a residence in the Awas Vikas-1 locality under the Kalyanpur police station area of Kanpur on Wednesday morning, causing widespread panic among local residents. The blaze rapidly spread to nearby electrical wires, compelling authorities to disconnect the power supply as a safety measure.
Incident Details
Ramchandra Sharma, a retired employee of Gramin Bank and a resident of Awas Vikas, recounted that he had gone for a morning walk at around 5 AM. Upon his return at approximately 7 AM, he was alarmed to see flames rising near his house due to the gas leakage. He immediately contacted the PNG toll-free helpline, but his call went unanswered for an extended period. As the fire intensified, he dialed the emergency number 112 to alert the police and fire brigade.
Response and Delays
Police personnel arrived at the scene promptly and began efforts to douse the flames using available resources. However, the fire brigade reached the location nearly 1.5 hours later, by which time the fire had not been brought under control. According to fire department officials, one of their vehicles broke down near Swaraj India Public School in Rawatpur, necessitating the deployment of a second vehicle, which caused the significant delay.
Given the severity of the situation, a JCB machine was brought in, and wet soil was used to smother the blaze. Shortly thereafter, employees of the PNG company arrived and, as a precautionary measure, shut off the gas supply across an area spanning approximately six kilometers. This action finally brought the situation under full control.
Official Intervention
Ramchandra Sharma also informed District Magistrate Jitendra Singh about the incident via phone. Following this, the Fazalganj Fire Station was directed to dispatch a team immediately. Local residents praised the police for their swift arrival and initial relief operations but criticized the delayed response from the fire brigade and PNG company employees, which left the situation uncontrolled for a considerable period.
Background
The incident highlights the challenges faced in emergency response coordination. The fire was eventually brought under control without any reported injuries or major damage to property. Authorities are investigating the cause of the gas leak to prevent future occurrences.
