Cylinder blast at bakery guts three shops, none injured

Police said Karuppaiah of Mangadu ran a bakery along Kundrathur road. The shopkeeper had shut the shop on Thursday night and had headed home when the incident took place. Police said passers-by had noticed thick smoke emanating from the shop. 

Subsequently, the cylinder inside the shop exploded with a deafening blast at around 7 am. Locals alerted Mangadu police, who in turn contacted Poonamallee and Maduravoyal fire services. The firefighters who were pressed into action for about two hours brought the fire fully under control. However, bakery items worth lakhs were reduced to ashes. 

The intensity of the explosion also brought down the building, while a nearby bookstore, fancy shop and supermarket were also damaged in the impact. Since the fire did not spread to the nearby shops, a major accident was averted. Mangadu police are investigating the matter.