A major fire broke out at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (HPCL) Visakhapatnam refinery on Monday evening, 2 November, with reports saying the blaze affected a pitch tank in the facility’s Residue Upgradation Facility (RUF). Officials reported no casualties, while the cause remains undetermined.
The New Indian Express reported that an HPCL official identified the pitch tank as the location of the fire and said its thick smoke was due to the material stored there. The Hindu also placed the fire in the pitch area of the RUF and reported that HPCL’s internal firefighting team responded.
The fire was brought under control and extinguished, according to Revenue Divisional Officer Dileep Chakravarthy, who spoke to ANI after visiting the site. ANI reported that firefighting equipment at the plant and equipment deployed by the Andhra Pradesh Fire Department were used. The Hindu and CNBC-TV18 also reported that the blaze was contained, with CNBC-TV18 citing police accounts that it did not spread to other sections of the refinery.
Officials reported no injuries or deaths. CNBC-TV18 reported that refinery crews brought the fire under control in about an hour and that power to the affected section was suspended as a precaution.
Reports of an explosion circulated after the fire, but a blast has not been independently established. The Times of India reported that HPCL sources considered a tank explosion unlikely and that officials were examining the circumstances. ANI, citing the RDO, said a small blast had been reported before the fire; the exact cause remains under investigation.
The Hindu reported that HPCL officials said the refinery’s primary processing units remained operational. The extent of damage to the affected area has not been established in the reports available, and the investigation is expected to determine how the fire started.
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