A massive fire broke out at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) refinery in Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam late on Monday night following reports of an explosion, triggering panic among residents as towering flames and thick clouds of smoke rose from the industrial facility.
The blaze reportedly originated in a sulphur pitch tank within the refinery premises. Firefighters from HPCL and other emergency response teams rushed to the site and began efforts to contain the flames.
Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi confirmed the incident and said the fire was confined to the affected tank, with no immediate threat to other sections of the refinery.
Authorities said no fatalities had been reported, while the cause of the fire and the extent of damage were yet to be established.
๐๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ผ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ
The incident was reported after residents and refinery personnel heard sounds resembling an explosion. Flames were subsequently seen rising high above the facility, accompanied by dense smoke that spread across the surrounding neighbourhoods.
Visuals from the area showed a large blaze illuminating the night sky, while smoke billowed over nearby residential and industrial localities.
An HPCL employee said sounds of an explosion were heard before flames became visible. The intensity of the fire prompted residents in neighbouring areas to come out of their homes.
The refinery is located in the Gajuwaka industrial area of Visakhapatnam, which houses several major industrial establishments.
๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ณ๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ธ
Police Commissioner Bagchi said the blaze remained restricted to the sulphur pitch tank and did not pose an immediate danger to other refinery installations.
The clarification came amid concerns that the fire could spread to other sections of the petroleum-processing facility.
Authorities also said the smoke generated by the incident was not considered hazardous, although emergency teams continued to monitor conditions around the affected area.
There were no confirmed reports of deaths as of late Monday night. Officials had not yet provided a comprehensive assessment of possible injuries or property damage.
๐๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฎ๐บ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ
HPCL's internal firefighting units were among the first to respond, with additional fire tenders arriving from different parts of the city to support containment operations.
As a precaution, refinery officials reportedly suspended power supply to the affected section and moved personnel to safer locations.
Police personnel were deployed around the facility to restrict access and prevent people from approaching the affected premises while emergency operations were underway.
Firefighters continued working to bring the blaze under control, with officials closely monitoring the situation to prevent it from spreading beyond the tank.
๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฑ
The exact sequence of events leading to the incident remained unclear. Although explosion sounds were reported, authorities had not confirmed what triggered the blaze.
The extent of damage to the affected tank and any possible impact on refinery operations were also not immediately known.
Officials were expected to assess the damage and determine the cause once the situation was brought under control.
The incident has renewed attention on industrial safety and emergency preparedness at major petroleum facilities, particularly those located close to densely populated urban areas.
Firefighting operations were continuing at the time of the latest reports, with authorities maintaining that the flames were confined to the affected tank and that no deaths had been reported.