Keeping two gas cylinders filled with gas is dangerous

Assistant Divisional Officer Grade two (ADO II) Baba Hudu, Northern Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) has advised members of the public against the storage of Liquified Petroleum Gas in extra cylinders close to the ones in use.

ADOII Hudu said even though people stored the gas to avoid shortage and beat inflation, it endangered their lives and property because in case of an accident, a fire outbreak would get intense, having two or more filled gas cylinders in a kitchen.

He reiterated that fire caused from leaking gas cylinders could be easily handled and quenched compared to an instance where there were more filled cylinders involved.

ADOII Mr Hudu, speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Tamale on Wednesday on the safe handling of gas cylinders, advised members of the public to occasionally put the tube that linked a cylinder to the burner in soapy water to check for pores, which would be exposed by bubbles in the water.

He said cylinder regulators and seals must be changed frequently to prevent leakages that often lead to explosion and encouraged users of cylinders to discard cylinders that have been used for about six to 10 years.

He stated that sparks of any form could cause gas explosions in an airtight environment during leakages and urged cylinder users to immediately call-in repairers to fix the leakage and keep doors and windows open.

He said: "After filling a cylinder, leave it for about an hour for the gas to settle before using it. Movement causes the gas to expand, which makes it dangerous to light immediately."

ADOII Hudu further encouraged gas users not to panic and leave mild fire from cylinders to spread, and advised victims of cylinder leakages to keep calm and act bravely to quench fire from gas cylinders with wet towel or blanket

Source: GNA