One person was killed and two others were injured when a gas cylinder exploded inside a restaurant following a fire that broke out there on Monday morning.
The local residents found smoke billowing out of the restaurant situated at Birati in North 24 Parganas at around 11 am on Monday triggering panic among the local residents.
The deceased and the other two injured persons were the employees of the restaurant who were in the restaurant when the gas cylinder exploded.
The fire officials and the police are yet to confirm if the explosion had led to the fire or it happened as a cause of the fire.
They are conducting a probe in this regard. The fire officials said that the fire took place inside the kitchen of the restaurant.
The local people heard a loud explosion and rushed to the spot to see the three victims seriously injured.
After being informed, two fire tenders were pressed into action to douse the flame. Police officers also rushed to the spot.
The entire area was cordoned off. Firstly, the firefighters restricted the fire from spreading to the other portion of the building that housed the restaurant.
The injured victims were rushed to a nearby hospital where one was declared brought dead while two others are undergoing treatment at the hospital. They also suffered serious burn injuries in their bodies.
According to the preliminary investigation, police and fire brigade officials suspect that there was no proper fire fighting mechanism in the restaurant. An FIR has been lodged against the restaurant owner as it had no proper fire clearance.
Another incident of fire had taken place in the third floor of the Swasthya Bhavan in Salt Lake on Monday. The employees, however, managed to douse the flame before a fire tender reached the spot. It is suspected that an electrical short circuit might have caused the fire.
With the help of the fire extinguisher, the employees managed to douse the flame.
The fire brigade and police started a probe in this regard. However, they are yet to ascertain the cause of the fire and the extent of the damage. None was injured in the incident.