Anantapur: Around 450 gas cylinders exploded when the vehicle they were being transported in caught fire on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru Highway near Engumarri village in Kurnool district on Thursday. The explosions continued for more than three hours and the impact was felt in a half-km radius.

Dhone DSP P.S. Babu said the lorry, belonging to Hindustan Petroleum, was carrying 450 cylinders that were to be unloaded at the Nandikotkur HP gas agency. When the lorry reached Enugumarri, driver B. Kullayappa noticed flames coming out of the engine. He drove the lorry to the outskirts of the village to prevent loss of life and property. He then jumped out of the vehicle.

Mr Kullayappa alerted people in the vicinity and also alerted vehicles from both Kurnool and Anantapur to stay away from the lorry as flames reached the cylinders. The cylinders kept exploding for about three hours one after another.

Several fodder dumps caught fire and houses in the half-a-km radius developed cracks. Locals took shelter in the nearby fields.

The police and fire brigade from Dhone and other parts of Kurnool district rushed the spot, but took a long time to extinguish the blaze. The lorry was reduced to ashes. No causalities were reported.

Kurnool collector C.H. Vijaya Mohan and other district officials rushed to the spot. Dhone TD leader K.E. Prathap gave financial assistance of `20,000 to people whose fodder dumps were damaged.