Gandhinagar: A fire broke out in a hut near the garden in Sector 4 of the state capital late last night. The fire brigade rushed to the scene immediately after receiving a call about the fire. While attempting to extinguish the flames, a gas cylinder inside the hut suddenly exploded, severely injuring four fire personnel.

In this regard, Chief Fire Officer (in charge) Rajesh Patel said that a call was made by one Pradeep regarding the fire, prompting the team to reach the spot. The fire had engulfed the hut near the Sulabh Shauchalaya (toilet). Firefighters began setting up hoses in the fire tanker, while other personnel moved toward the toilet. During this, the gas cylinder exploded, resulting in burns to fire workers Mahavir Singh Chauhan, Ranjit Thakor, Vipul Rabari, and Bhupendra Patel.

The Chief Fire Officer further stated that the injured personnel were taken to Civil Hospital, where Mahavir Singh, Ranjit, and Vipul were diagnosed with 75 percent burns and were transferred to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital for further treatment. Bhupendra Patel was admitted to the Civil Hospital with burns to his hand. Initial investigations revealed that Hemant, who was managing the accessible toilet, was not present in the hut at the time. The explosion is believed to have been caused either by lighting a lamp or a short circuit.

Pradeep Koli, who was passing by Sector 4 at around 11:30 pm, heard a sound resembling firecrackers exploding from the hut. He immediately alerted his friends and contacted the fire brigade. DeshGujarat