1 dead as massive fire breaks out at oil refinery in Gujarat

A major fire broke out at the Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) refinery in Gujrat’s Vadodara district on Nov 11 afternoon following a blast, officials said.

An IOCL employee succumbed to burn injuries while two others injured are undergoing treatment at a hospital, Vadodara Commissioner of Police Narasimha Komar was quoted as saying.

According to a statement from IOCL, the fire broke out in Nandesari town of the district at around 3.30 pm.

“Today, a fire was reported at around 3:30 pm in a Benzene Storage Tank (1,000 KL capacity) at Gujarat Refinery. The refinery’s emergency response team is actively tackling the situation, with firefighting operations currently underway." read the statement.

The adjacent water sprinkler system has been activated to contain the fire, and dousing efforts are ongoing. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained,” it added.

According to officials sounds of two more explosions were reported from inside the refinery between 6 pm and 8:30 pm.

Chief Fire Officer of Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services (VFES), Nikunj Azad was quoted as saying that the firefighters were continuously trying to bring the fire under control and the cooling process was ongoing.

Azad said a fire personnel of VFES had suffered minor burn injuries while dousing the flames. “It is a minor injury and the officer continues to be on the duty.” he added.

At least 11 fire tenders were engaged in fire extinguishing operations. Vadodara District Collector Bijal Shah was quoted as saying that additional foam fire tenders were summoned from Ankleshwar industrial area in Bharuch district to be kept on standby.

“The teams are trying hard to contain the fire so that it does not spread. Additional foam fire tenders will arrive from Ankleshwar and remain on standby as the teams will also need to be changed if the fire fighting continues overnight.” Shah said.

“We are taking all precautions and the evacuations that were needed from within the refinery have been done. So far, the surrounding residential areas are not facing any danger, but if the need arises, we will initiate evacuations for residents,” he added.

Foam fire tenders of VFES of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation were also rushed to the spot late on Nov 11 evening, officials said.

Senior police officials, district collector as well as teams of the Industrial Disaster Response also visited the site.

“Safety of our employees and surrounding communities remains our utmost priority. The refinery operations are normal. Further updates will be provided as the situation develops,” IOC statement added.