Major HPCL blaze kills 3

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Aug 23, 2013: Just months after an explosion created havoc at the refinery of state-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL), 18 km from the city in Malkapuram, a major fire broke out on Friday killing three workers and injuring around 37 others.

Two of the dead have been identified as Ch. Murali and Manojit Vardhan. Among the injured, five were in critical condition and the death toll was likely to go up, said sources. The injured were rushed to the Indian Navy hospital INH Kalyani and to private hospitals in the city. Among the injured, five were in critical condition and the death toll was likely to go up, said sources. The injured were rushed to the Indian Navy hospital INH Kalyani and to private hospitals in the city.

According to official sources, the accident occurred while commissioning a wooden cooling tower at a Diesel Hydro Desulphurisation Unit being built at the refinery.

The workers were involved in welding and other works relating to erecting the tower when the fire broke out and the tower collapsed.The cause of the fire is still not known.

After an explosion created havoc at the refinery of state-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) here, residents of Malkapuram and Sreeharipuram panicked after seeing the huge column of smoke. Many ran out of their houses fearing that the fire might spread.

Fire tenders from nearby industrial units were pressed into service to bring the flames under control. Saltwater and foam were also used to douse the flames and after two hours, the fire was finally put out.

“The exact cause of the fire is not known yet. First the injured need to be rushed to the hospital for treatment,” said city police commissioner B. Shivadhar Reddy.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy asked officials to submit a detailed report regarding the incident at the earliest. He expressed deep anguish over the incident and directed the incharge collector and city police commissioner to rush to the spot and take up rescue operations and provide all medical assistance to the injured in coordination with the HPCL management.

On the night of May 16, there had been an explosion at the Crude Oil Distillery Unit 3 (CDU3), due to a spark that had ignited the fuel at the same refinery. Fortunately there had been no casualties at that time.

Navy helps douse fire Personnel from the Eastern Naval Command under the guidance of their firefighting officer rendered necessary firefighting assistance at the site. Three fire tenders and about 35 personnel from the Navy operated with the local teams to ensure that the flames were doused speedily.