Bhubaneswar: Panic gripped the Raj Bhawan area in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday after a major fire broke out at a petrol pump.
The incident took place around 1 pm when the fire broke out inside a gas chamber.
Following information, eight Fire Brigade teams rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control.
During the blaze, Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Dash along with policemen blocked all the roads leading to the site and asked people to stay away from 1.5 km radius of the petrol pump.
An employee of the filling station, who sustained multiple injuries, said that the fire suddenly broke out inside the underground gas chamber when LPG was being transferred from an LPG truck. The gas chamber exploded, blowing off the roof of the chamber.
Several people including the filling station staffers present inside the filling station sustained injuries. Three staffers were rushed to the Capital Hospital with critical injuries.
The intensity of the blast could be heard to a distance of about 2 km radius of the filling station.
Till reports last came in, police have warned the people not to enter in the area as the fire might catch the other two gas chambers.
While the ODRAF personnel have rushed to the spot, 8 more ambulance vans are kept near the filling station.
