R B Jagadish
Daijiworld Media Network – Karkala (SP)

Karkala, Mar 12: On account of technical fault in the LPG cylinders supplied to the government primary school ar Mudaru Rameruguttu in Bajagoli in the taluk, fire erupted in the kitchen where midday meal was being cooked. With the timely action of locals and staff of the fire brigade, fire was contained before it could inflict major damage to life and property.

The incident occurred at around 10.15 am on Tuesday March 11. After fire suddenly appeared in the pipe carrying gas from the cylinder to the stove in the kitchen, thick smoke enveloped the area within seconds. The locals immediately rushed to the school, sent students away, and tried to douse the flames. Fire brigade personnel, who also came to the site promptly, extinguished the flames. The fire personnel said that because of the heat generated due to fire, wall of the school kitchen has developed a wide crack.

Fire officer of the station, Naveen, said that it is necessary for schools using gas for cooking to take all precautions. He insisted that measures like placing fire extinguishers in the kitchen, taking care not to stock dry, flammable waste and other things inside the kitchen, maintaining safe distance between the LPG cylinder and stove, and replacing pipes carrying gas from the cylinder to the stove regularly, are some of the preemptive measures that can go a long way in either totally avoiding, or minimizing the impact of, such accidents.