Over 20 injured after massive fire breaks out in naphtha pipeline at Bengal refinery

A massive fire erupted at West Bengal's Haldia Refinery after a naphtha pipeline caught fire early Tuesday morning. Visuals from the scene showed thick black smoke billowing into the sky as firefighters battled the blaze.

In Short

• Fire broke out in naphtha pipeline at Haldia Refinery early Tuesday
• More than 20 people were injured, some in critical condition
• Cause suspected near unauthorised naphtha theft point

More than 20 people were injured after a major fire broke out in a naphtha pipeline at the Haldia Refinery in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district on Tuesday, officials said.

"Over 20 people, mostly locals, were injured in the fire. Out of them, five are critical. Some are undergoing treatment here while some were referred to hospitals in Kolkata," a police officer said. He said that two security personnel of the company were among those injured.

The blaze erupted between 4 am and 4.30 am and 12 fire tenders were pressed into service. Firefighting operations are still underway.

Visuals from the spot showed thick black smoke rising into the sky as firefighters and emergency teams battled to bring the flames under control.

Officials said 12 fire tenders were pressed into service. Police said the fire has been brought under control.

"The firefighters are using foam and fly ash, and hopefully it will be doused soon," the officer said, adding that "we suspect that leakage from the naphtha pipeline led to the fire, but a formal investigation will reveal the exact cause."

The blaze also damaged overhead railway equipment in the area, disrupting train services.

Local residents and refinery officials rushed to the spot and rescued the injured, who were shifted to Haldia Sub-Divisional Hospital for treatment. Some of the injured are reported to be in critical condition.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

In a statement, Haldia Petrochemicals said the incident may have occurred near an unauthorised naphtha theft point located within the plant's vicinity.

It highlighted that naphtha is a highly combustible and extremely flammable hydrocarbon and warned against unauthorised access or handling of petroleum products due to the associated safety risks.

The company said the exact cause of the incident is under investigation in coordination with relevant authorities and added that it would be premature to assign responsibility until the probe is completed.

Haldia Refinery is the fourth refinery owned by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd and is situated in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district where the Haldi and Hooghly rivers meet. The refinery was commissioned in 1975 and is located about 136 km from Kolkata.

According to the company, the Haldia Refinery has an installed capacity of 2.5 million metric tons per annum (MMTPA) and is spread over an area of about 612 acres.

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