More than 60 cooking gas cylinders loaded in a truck en route to Ghaziabad blew up in an explosion early Saturday, the fire department said.
The explosion was caused by a fire around 4 a.m., likely due to friction in the cylinders, officials said.
At least four furniture shops in the vicinity turned into ashes and some vehicles parked nearby also burned, they said.
Chief Fire Officer Rahul Pal told PTI that it took more than eight fire tenders around 90 minutes to douse the flames. No casualties were reported.
The sound of the explosion and the consequent mayhem sent people nearby scampering to safety.
According to officials, when the driver noticed the fire, he parked it near a petrol pump. Soon after, the blasts happened, and the staff deserted the pump.
Eyewitnesses said a few cylinders fell into the petrol pump premises but did not explode.
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