Fire breaks out at HPCL refinery in Visakhapatnam
No injuries or deaths were reported after a blaze occurred at the Malkapuram facility on Monday night.
A fire broke out at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) refinery in Malkapuram, Visakhapatnam, on Monday night, according to reports from The Times of India and The Hindu. The blaze was reported around 10 pm on November 2 and was contained within a short time.
The fire originated in a pitch storage tank within the refinery's sulfur unit. Malkapuram Circle Inspector E Narasimha Rao stated that the fire involved sulfur pitch, which is a waste product from the sulfur unit. He noted that HPCL's internal fire tenders were used to manage the blaze and no external assistance was required.
Revenue Divisional Officer Dileep Chakravarthy, who visited the site, said the fire was extinguished using refinery equipment and resources from the Andhra Pradesh Fire Department. He also mentioned that a small blast was reported at the facility before the fire started.
While no casualties or injuries occurred, eyewitnesses described large flames and thick smoke. The Hindu reported that the fire caused brief panic among residents in nearby areas due to a sudden explosion and intense flames.
HPCL stated that all refinery units are operating safely and fuel supply chains will not be affected. A technical committee will investigate the cause of the fire, and an enquiry will be initiated to examine industrial safety at the facility.