Open stove valve caused explosion in Al Khail Gate apartment

Open stove valve caused explosion in Al Khail Gate apartment

  DUBAI - A gas build up due to an open stove valve was pointed as the cause of explosion in an apartment in Al Khail Gate community, investigators revealed. The August 24 blast, which took place in a fifth-floor apartment of Building No. 39 in Phase 1 of the community in Al Quoz, left one woman dead and injured her baby and another woman. The blast also damaged the walls of the apartment, and two other apartments in the same building. Results of the Dubai Police investigation revealed that the stove’s knob was turned on, causing a build-up of flammable gas in the apartment that fueled the explosion. Fire expert Mohammad Abu Eita, from the Forensic Engineering Department at Dubai Police's Forensic Science and Criminology Department, explained that when gas mixes with oxygen and the ratio of flammable gas to air reaches the "explosive limit", any minor spark can result in an explosion. A simple switching on of the light is enough to cause an explosion, Abu Eita said. In the case of the apartment, the gas increased the pressure inside the confined space, which was the reason why the walls and the roof were blown off. There was also a flash fire as there is usually no fire in gas explosions. Flash fire occurs when intense fire is caused by ignition of a mixture of air and a dispersed flammable substance. It is characterised by high temperature and short duration. Abu Eita explained that the intact gas cylinder found at the scene was normal, explaining that it would only explode if there is an external fire that leads to the overheating of the gas inside the cylinder. CLM/Expat 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