Bhubaneswar, Nov. 12: Police would initiate action against a person, who had allegedly burst crackers in front of a restaurant along the National Highway-5 near Khandagiri Square that caused explosions in two generator sets installed at the eatery leading to the death of three persons and injuries to four others on Tuesday, a day before Diwali.

"We have registered a case under Section 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code in connection with the incident and are looking into the circumstances that caused the mishap," said deputy police commissioner Satyabrata Bhoi. The person's identity is being ascertained.

The two diesel generator sets installed in the restaurant compound exploded after fire particles from the crackers allegedly fell on them. The impact of the explosion was so severe that all the three victims were killed on the spot.

In another incident, around 50 persons, including three children, suffered injuries in the city during Diwali celebrations yesterday. Besides, property worth Rs 1 crore was gutted when fire broke out in a furniture shop near the Saptasati temple. An eyewitness said the fire particles from bursting crackers had led to the mishap in the furniture shop.

Though there was no casualty in the shop, seven inmates of a nearby girls' hostel were taken ill when smoke from the gutted shop engulfed their premises. It took three hours for fire personnel to douse the flames. The girls were rushed to Capital Hospital.

"It was around 7.45pm when we witnessed smoke billowing out of the furniture shop. We immediately informed the fire personnel. The fire was so severe that the flames could be seen even from a distance of half a kilometre," said another eyewitness. Fire personnel said all the six fire stations in the city were on the alert yesterday.

Even hospitals were on the alert. "We had made elaborate arrangements and also deployed adequate doctors at the hospital. While two youths suffered critical injuries due to fire cracker explosion, another youth from Khurda was also admitted in the hospital with burn injuries," said a doctor at the Capital Hospital.

In yet another incident, 13 persons were injured, four of them seriously, following an explosion in a cracker godown at Dhanaghara within the K. Nuagaon police station areas at Chikiti in Ganjam yesterday. The police said the shop did not have a licence.