At least 34 people, including seven police personnel, were seriously injured when a fire broke out and a gas cylinder exploded during the cooking of “prasada” (offering) for Chhath at a house in Bihar’s Aurangabad town on Saturday.

Around half of them have suffered 40 to 80 per cent burn injuries. Several among the injured were in critical condition and admitted to different hospitals. Doctors have expressed concern about the condition of around 10 of them and referred them to Patna Medical College (PMCH) and Hospital and Anugrah Narayan Medical College and Hospital (ANMCH) in Gaya.

The incident happened in the Shahganj locality of Aurangabad, around 140km southwest of state capital Patna, in the three-storeyed house of Anil Goswami in the morning.

“We were on the terrace. My wife and other family members were preparing prasada. Suddenly, we heard

a commotion and shouts about a leak from a cooking gas cylinder. We rushed downstairs and saw fire all around. Soon, the gas cylinder exploded. We could not even understand what actually happened,” Goswami told reporters.

Many locals rushed in to help douse the fire that had engulfed the ground floor and was reaching the first floor of the house. Several of the rescuers suffered severe burn injuries when the gas cylinder exploded.

A police patrol team of seven that was in the vicinity arrived. One of the policemen was trying to douse the flames with the help of a water pipe when the cylinder exploded.

“We were patrolling the area and received information about the fire... The place was up in flames. One of us took a water pipe and started pouring water on the flames, but there was a blast. It seems the cylinder exploded,” said Muhammad Muazzam, an injured police constable.

The locals rushed all the injured to Sadar Hospital after the blast. Some who suffered minor injuries went to private hospitals.

“Around 30 people were brought to Sadar Hospital for treatment. Seven are still admitted there with around 40 per cent burns. Those in critical condition have been referred to Patna and Gaya for better medical attention. Three persons have been referred to the PMCH and some others to the ANMCH,” Aurangabad civil surgeon Kumar Virendra Prasad told The Telegraph.

He said those referred to the government hospitals in Patna and Gaya had suffered around 80 per cent or more burn injuries.