BARELY two months after a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank explosion burned down a laundry shop and killed two persons, another tank explosion set off a fire that razed a hardware store in Barangay Sangi, Lapu-Lapu City yesterday afternoon.

The three-minute fire reported at 1:58 p.m. razed P700,000 worth of property at the “The Mama’s Hardware” along Maximo Patalinjug ave., in Sitio Sangi, Barangay Pajo.

The one-story commercial building is owned by James Tiro.

Based on fire investigator SFO1 Atilano Berido’s report, the blaze started at the kitchen.

A cooking LPG tank exploded and the fire immediately spread to the whole building made of light and concrete materials.

The arrival of fire trucks prevented the blaze from spreading in nearby houses.

The main fire station responded, assisted by other fire trucks in nearby barangays.

It is the first fire reported in Lapu-Lapu this month.

Last Sept. 11, two persons were killed, while 11 others were injured when an LPG tank exploded in Barangay Basak, Mandaue City.

Most of the victims were just passing by when the tank in Gene’s Laundry exploded about 8 a.m.

Gene’s Laundry shop attendant Lorna Ruben noticed the leak when she arrived at the shop. She turned the dryer on, setting off the explosion. Ruben suffered second-degree burns.

Alarm over a possible terrorist attack was initial reaction to the explosion that happened on the fifth anniversary of the World Trade Center bombing and the opening in Cebu City of the 27th General Assembly of the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Organization.

Police said it was a “mechanical” explosion. No bomb components were found at the scene.