Bareilly,

02 July (HS): A mound of plastic gas pipes placed along the Nainital highway

caught fire on Wednesday due to sparks from an overhead power line, according

to police. No

injuries were recorded in the event, which occurred around midnight. They

said that a malfunction in the overhead electric line caused sparks to fall on

a pile of plastic PNG (piped natural gas) pipes and wires parked along the

roadside. The extremely combustible substance rapidly caught fire, creating a

gigantic conflagration that could be seen from a considerable way.

As

a precaution, traffic on both sides of the Nainital highway was suspended,

according to Bareilly Additional Superintendent of Police, Traffic, Akmal Khan.

Vehicle progress was halted for about 30 minutes, causing a traffic jam on the

main highway, according to residents.

Several

fire tenders were brought to the scene, and firefighting operations lasted more

than an hour, according to the ASP. The fire is believed to have been started

by an electric spark caused by a power line malfunction. A fire officer stated

that the agency will undertake a comprehensive investigation. Abhishek, an officer with the business that

laid the pipes, said the pipes had been saved for installing new gas lines and

were worth several lakhs of rupees.

He said that the fire consumed the whole stock, forcing the corporation to

suffer significant losses.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi