Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh reported a bizarre incident earlier today. A major fire broke out in the afternoon at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) plant.
Cause of Fire Yet To Be Ascertained; DCP
As per the statement released by the company, the fire occurred in one of the crude processing units of the HPCL’s Visakh Refinery. All the safety measures and firefighting measures were immediately activated. The fire was extinguished soon and no casualties or risk to the public has occurred.
The company further said that the people are safe and the fire is extinguished completely. Apart from the unit that was on fire today, rest of the processing units of the Visakh Refinery are operating normally.
ALSO READ:-Vizag Steel Plant workers warn center of serious consequences
DCP Aishwarya Rastogi also released a statement regarding the incident. She said that a blast was reported at the Unit-3 plant in HPCL. Five fire tenders were present on the spot and more were immediately rushed to the venue. However, the cause of the fire is yet to be found.
No Casualties Reported Due To Fire
Reports suggest that the fire erupted in the crude distillation unit in the HPCL old terminal. Soon after the fire erupted, an emergency siren was alarmed and the employees were rushed outside the unit.
Some workers said that there was a ball of fire and after hearing the sound of the alarm, they all rushed outside for safety. Images of the incident that surfaced online showed huge flames and smoke billowing out from the HPCL plant.
Visakhapatnam District Collector V Vinay Chand said that the fire was doused quickly which prevented major damage. The collector said that there are no casualties, nor anyone was injured in the mishap. Teams from HPCL apart, personnel from the Eastern Naval Command and the AP State Disaster Response and Fire Services Department swung into action and put out the blaze in a swift operation.
