NEW DELHI: An explosion triggered by a suspected LPG leak in a Najafgarh home has shrouded Ramji Lal’s family in gloom, orphaning an infant and leaving a four-year-old girl without her mother over 12 long days.Police found six people, including the children, with burn injuries, after the blast in Ranaji Enclave on the night of Sept 22. The injured were taken to IGI Hospital and later shifted to Safdarjung Hospital.Lal’s daughter, Monika (29) died on Sept 28. His son, 25-year-old Keshav, passed away on Oct 1, followed by his daughter-in-law, Sonam (24), on Oct 3 and his wife, 50-year-old Kamlesh, the next day.Three-month-old Yuvansh, Keshav and Sonam’s son, now lives with Lal. Monika’s four-year-old daughter, Diya, too escaped with injuries.Monika had gone to visit her parents with Diya when the explosion occurred,” police said. Monika’s husband, Rahul, and other family members live in Badshahpur, Gurgaon.Police said that both children were reportedly sleeping on a bed positioned close to a wall, which may have prevented the flames from reaching them directly.“During preliminary inquiry, it emerged that LPG from a domestic gas cylinder may have leaked and accumulated in a room, forming a combustible gas-air mixture. This mixture may have ignited or exploded upon coming into contact with a possible ignition source. The exact cause is yet to be established,” a senior police officer said.The room was completely shut, with no opening on any side, which may have further influenced the spread and intensity of the flames, say cops.The incident occurred on the ground floor, while the impact of the fire was also evident on the first floor, where the gate sustained damage. “All those who sustained serious injuries had suffered around 60% burn injuries,” the officer said.An FIR was registered at Najafgarh police station under sections 287 and 106(1) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for negligent conduct involving fire or combustible matter and causing death by negligence, respectively.In Feb, a firefighter died, and at least 13 people, including fire and police personnel, were injured after an LPG cylinder exploded during a fire at a building in Majlis Park.
