Gas cylinder explosion in locked Bhilwara house damages building

Bhilwara: A cooking gas cylinder exploded late Sunday night in a locked house in Bhilwara's Patri Paar area under Gandhinagar police station, severely damaging the building, collapsing its walls and causing cracks in nearly half a dozen neighbouring houses.The blast occurred in Santosh Colony near the Bhilwara Police Line, triggering panic. Residents initially mistook the sound for firecrackers after the India-New Zealand final match, but rushed out when they felt tremors and saw cracks in surrounding homes, and found the explosion had occurred in the closed house.
No one was killed or injured. The house owner, Satyanarayan Purohit, had gone with his entire family to attend a wedding ceremony in Soniyana (Chittorgarh).Police from Gandhi Nagar police station reached the spot after receiving information. A preliminary police investigation suggested the blast was caused by a leak in the cooking gas cylinder. Mobile Investigation Unit and FSL teams were called to conduct a modern and scientific investigation, and evidence was collected from the scene.Eyewitness Bhagwati Lal Sen said, "We suddenly smelled gas. Before we knew it, an explosion occurred in the house next to ours. Hearing the loud blast and feeling the tremors, all the neighborhood residents came out of their homes onto the streets. The house owner was informed later."Bhilwara SP Dharmendra Singh said, "Late Sunday night, a gas cylinder exploded in a closed house in the Gandhinagar police station area. The house owner had gone out to attend a social function. The walls and household belongings have been damaged, but there has been no loss of life. Once the house owner returns home and files a report with the police, legal action will be taken accordingly."