New Delhi: A fire broke out in the kitchen of Bikkgane Biryani restaurant in Connaught Place on Thursday, leaving six people injured, two of them with over 70% burns. An inquiry revealed that the blaze was caused by a leakage in an LPG cylinder.
The fire department received a call around 11.55am, following which it rushed six fire tenders and about 40 firefighters to the restaurant, located in P Block of Connaught Place.
“There were seven cylinders on the premises. The fire was doused timely, before it could spread to the other cylinders,” said police.
According to police, intense heat and thick smoke filled the kitchen of the outlet, causing panic among the staff and other people. A few customers were present at the time of the incident, said cops. However, when TOI visited the spot later, a notice was pasted saying the outlet was closed for Holi.
There was no immediate response from Bikkgane Biryani.
The fire department said six people working in the kitchen sustained injuries and were taken to a hospital. The victims sustained varying degrees of burns. Mahindra (25) sustained 81% burns while Deepak (39) and Piyush (31) had 70% burn injuries. Mohammad Alam (21) and Sairuddhin (28) sustained 30% and 20% burn injuries, respectively. Janak (26) had 4% burns.
The firefighting units quelled the blaze in about 40 minutes, minimising the damage to the rest of the building. In a video shared by the fire department, fire officials can be seen spraying water, with one of them removing the gas cylinders.
“The restaurant was on the ground floor, and the fire remained only in the kitchen,” a fire official said, adding that the staff were cooking when the fire began due to leakage in a cylinder.
Last month, a fire broke out at a restaurant in M Block of Connaught Place. Fire incidents were also reported at two eateries in Khan Market. In June last year, two people were injured after a fire that broke out at a restaurant in east Delhi’s Mayur Vihar.