JAISALMER: A massive fire broke out at the HPCL Pachpadra Refinery in Balotra on Monday afternoon, a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to inaugurate the refinery on Tuesday.The incident triggered panic among administration officials and authorities.
The official cause of the fire and the exact section affected were not confirmed.However, according to sources, the blaze followed an exchanger explosion at the main refinery’s CDU-VDU side, CDU – Crude Distillation Unit, VDU – Vacuum Distillation Unit, the unit that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to inaugurate on Tuesday.The refinery remained in a state of chaos with the inauguration set for the next day.Dozens of fire brigade vehicles were deployed to tackle the blaze.Thick plumes of smoke rose from the refinery after the fire broke out, and employees activated the fire safety system in an attempt to bring it under control. After information about the fire was received, more than a dozen fire tenders, along with teams from the district administration, police and the civil defence department, reached the spot and began firefighting operations.The entire area was evacuated as a precaution, and employees were brought out safely. There were no reports of casualties.Officials said an assessment of the damage and its causes could only be carried out after the fire was fully brought under control. Alertness across the entire area was heightened following the incident.PM Modi’s proposed visit to Pachpadra has been cancelled following a major fire at the refinery on Monday, with the inauguration ceremony also postponed as a precautionary measure.The blaze, which broke out at the Pachpadra refinery, was brought under control within about two hours. However, authorities called off the Prime Minister’s visit scheduled for Tuesday citing security concerns in the aftermath of the incident.Officials said the extent of the damage and the exact cause of the fire will be assessed only after the situation is completely stabilised. In the meantime, alertness has been heightened across the area, and all employees, engineers, and staff at the refinery have been directed to move to safe zones.
