Bhubaneswar: At least five shops were reduced to ashes after two cylinders blew off from a fast food centre at Pandara under Mancheswar police limits on Wednesday night.
According to sources, the fire broke out when two LPG cylinders caught fire inside the fast-food centre and exploded. With no time, the fire spread to the adjacent shops. Apart from shops, a bike and goods worth Rs 1 lakh were gutted in the fire.
It is suspected that the shop might have caught fire due to a short-circuit, which led to the explosion of two cylinders.
On a tip-off, fire tenders and police rushed to the spot and had a tough time dousing the fire.
According to the shopowner, the fire caused a loss of about Rs 1 lakh.
The exact cause of the fire will be known after investigation, a police officer said.