Explosive Kitchen Drama: Sri Lanka’s Gas Outbreak Unveiled
On a blistering Wednesday (Dec 1), the Sri Lankan Parliament fired up a special committee to sniff out the mystery behind a string of kitchen explosions that turned kitchens into accidental pyrotechnic shows. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa kept calm-ish, appointing an eight‑member squad to dot their i’s and cross their t’s in just two weeks.
Food‑Fire Frenzy
So far, reports say roughly 10 explosions a day on average—imagine that: true, that’s more than a popcorn machine going nuts every morning.
- A McDonald’s in Colombo fell victim to a gas leak fire on Nov 20.
- Families have moved cylinders outside or even started cooking on backyards, hoping to dodge indoor mishaps.
- DIY leak‑testing videos are popping off social media like confetti—fairly sure #DIYfire is a trending hashtag now.
Real‑Life Smoke‑Clouds: The Grievous Victim
Milinda Premachandra’s wife took severe burns after a cooker blew up in their pet‑sized eatery in Colombo.
“My wife will never be the same again. My whole life has fallen apart,” he laments. “The authorities must act fast. Someone has to hold the kitchen to account …”
The Big Gas Player: Litro’s Stand‑Ground
State‑run Litro, which feeds more than 80 % of the country’s LPG cylinders, denies blame over a supposed shift in the propane‑butane mix introduced earlier this year.
Instead, Litro points a finger at faulty regulators and old‑school stoves, claiming no cylinder recall is necessary—truth be told, the stoves only seem to show up in mundane photos of the same old kitchen chaos.
Two‑Week Verdict on the Horizon
In a display of political accountability, the committee promises a full report to Parliament, hoping to put an end to the “fear-fueled” kitchen crisis—so that people can finally enjoy cooking without turning their homes into roller‑coasters of flame.
