Kanpur: A major fire broke out at a jewellery workshop in Neelwali Gali, Pheelkhana area of the City in the late evening hours of Saturday, triggered by a gas leak. The powerful blast from the cylinder caused the fire to spread rapidly. The proprietor’s son and a worker sustained serious burn injuries.Although four fire tenders arrived at the spot, they couldn’t access the narrow street directly. The firefighting team extended hoses to reach the workshop and extinguish the flames after a two-hour operation. They successfully evacuated six residents from two families stranded on the workshop’s upper level. The two burn victims were transported to Government Ursula Hospital with police support, with the owner’s son in a grave condition. The fire brigade discovered four cylinders at the location, which posed a significant risk to neighbouring residences.The jewellery workshop, owned by Suresh Kumar Soni, occupies the ground floor of the building, with two families residing above. Sunil, the proprietor’s son, was supervising the artisans crafting jewellery for traders. The workers were utilising an LPG cylinder for melting precious metals. A cylinder leak initiated the fire, which workers initially attempted to contain. As the flames intensified due to the gas, they evacuated the premises. Suresh’s son Mayank and a worker, Sunil, were caught in the subsequent cylinder explosion while attempting to escape.The blast drew local residents, including corporator Vikas Jaiswal, who began firefighting using a submersible pump. ACP Collectorganj Ashutosh Kumar Singh arrived with police force and alerted the fire service. The fire engines from Latouche Road and Colonelganj were hampered by the narrow access. The fire brigade deployed extended hoses for the operation. Chief fire officer Deepak Sharma and Colonelganj fire officer Pradeep Sharma coordinated the rescue of the trapped families. The two-hour operation successfully contained the fire, though the workshop was destroyed. The officials noted the improper use of domestic cylinders for jewellery work and recovered four cylinders from the premises.
