At a Glance

Cylinder blast injures 5 in fire incident

BALURGHAT: A devastating fire broke out at a house in Durgapur village under Chingispur Gram Panchayat, Balurghat block, on Monday. The blaze, suspected to have originated from a kitchen oven, caused a gas cylinder to explode, intensifying the disaster. Five members of the same family were severely burnt while attempting to extinguish the fire. They were rushed to Balurghat Super Specialty Hospital. Firefighters from the Balurghat fire station later brought the flames under control. The house belongs to Basanti Sahu, a widow, who was resting inside when the fire started. She raised an alarm, drawing help from locals. Property worth nearly Rs 2.5 lakh was destroyed in the incident.