A fire at HPCL's Visakhapatnam refinery pitch tank was quickly controlled with no injuries reported. Authorities confirmed all units are safe and an enquiry into the incident is underway to ensure industrial safety standards are maintained.

Fire Incident at HPCL Visakhapatnam Refinery

All units at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited's (HPCL) Visakhapatnam Refinery are operating safely following a fire incident at a pitch intermediate storage tank on Monday, the company said. In a post on X, HPCL said the fire was reported at around 10 pm on November 2, following which the refinery's Fire and Safety Team promptly activated firefighting and emergency response measures.

“The fire was localised to pitch tank area and was brought under control within a short time. There has been no casualties,” the company said. HPCL further stated that all units of the refinery were working safely and reiterated its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety and emergency preparedness. "All the Units of the Refinery are working safely. HPCL remains committed to the highest standards of safety and emergency preparedness," HPCL said.

Official Response and Safety Enquiry

Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) Dileep Chakravarthy, who visited the site, said the fire was fully extinguished using the firefighting equipment installed at the plant and equipment deployed by the Andhra Pradesh Fire Department "There is no cause for worry, and no injuries or casualties have been reported. People are requested not to panic about the incident," Chakravarthy said.

Describing the incident, the RDO said a small blast was reported at the refinery, following which a fire broke out. Chakravarthy said an enquiry would be initiated into industrial safety at the facility in accordance with the applicable safety norms. "There will be an enquiry about industrial safety in that, as per industry safety norms. But for the public, it is to be noted that there is no cause of worry. It is fully under control," he added.

Eyewitness Accounts

Meanwhile, an eyewitness described seeing flames rising from the facility and said people were frightened by the incident. Another eyewitness said the flames appeared large and that people moved away out of fear. (ANI)

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