A gas explosion by a Kleen Rite Dry Cleaners has injured three people and caused traffic to back up from the east and west side of the Audrey Jeffers Highway. No fatalities have been reported.
Fire fighters are in the process of responding to a fire at Mucurapo Road, St James. Around 1.15 pm today, police reports revealed that a gas truck's hose caught on fire in an explosion by Kleen Rite Dry Cleaners on Mucorapo Road.
An LNG (liquefied natural gas) company was refueling gas tanks behind the dry cleaners when the pump caught afire. One of the two men who were refueling the tanks ran inside the business and alerted everyone in the building. However, the owners wife, Sabrina Ali, and two others Nirmala Jagdeo and Shanelle Noel were injured and taken to the hospital.
Kleen Rite is adjacent to the NP gas station on Mucurapo Road. On the other side of Keen Rite is Sherwin Williams Paint Ltd. Behind those establishments is an underground pipeline. The fire has spread to the Sherwin Williams.
Fire tenders from the Wrightson Road and the Woodbrook Fire Station attempted to extinguish the blaze. However, around 2.15pm the fire reignited.
Police officers were also notified. There is currently a pile up of traffic backing up along the Western Main Road.
Traffic heading east along the Audry Jeffers Highway have been diverted onto the west-bound lane of the highway all the way to Hasely Crawford Stadium. Some vehicles are being cautioned to turn around by Mucurapo Road and the Audry Jeffers Highway. Vehicles heading west from the highway are being diverted onto Ariapita Avenue.
National Security Ministry helicopters were hovering over the fire scene.
Investigations are ongoing.