Patna: A 38-year-old woman died and her husband suffered burn injuries after an LPG cylinder allegedly exploded and triggered a major fire in a three-storey residential building in Isapur locality under Phulwarisharif police station area of Patna on Wednesday. The couple’s three children escaped by jumping from the building as flames and smoke engulfed the house.The deceased was identified as Rehana Khatoon, wife of Mohd Mannan, who lived as a tenant in a portion of the three-storey house owned by Mohd Shahab on Haji Harman Road.According to family members and local residents, Rehana was cooking in the first-floor kitchen when the cylinder allegedly exploded. The blast was followed by a fire that spread rapidly through the building. Rehana was trapped inside and could not escape. She died on the spot.Mannan, who was downstairs at the time, rushed upstairs after hearing about the explosion and tried to rescue his wife. He sustained burn injuries on his hand during the rescue attempt. Their three children managed to escape by jumping from the building amid the rapidly spreading flames and thick smoke.After receiving information, police and fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot. Around eight to 10 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the blaze. Firefighters, assisted by local residents, battled the fire for several hours before bringing it under control.Following the operation, Rehana’s body was recovered from the house and sent for post-mortem examination.The fire destroyed most of the family’s belongings, including foodgrains, clothes, cash, jewellery, important documents and household articles, causing substantial financial loss.ASP (Danapur) Ajit Kumar said, “The fire started following a cylinder blast, suspected to have been caused by a gas leakage. The woman’s body was handed over to the family after post-mortem. Further legal action is being taken,” he said.Police and fire officials have launched an investigation into the exact cause of the cylinder explosion and the subsequent fire.
