Visakhapatnam: Collector orders probe on HPCL fire accident with five-member technical committee

Amid fire accident at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) refinery in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday, the Collector ordered an inquiry with a five-member technical committee to inquire into the matter. The committee will analyse the risk in CDU-3 and the possible causes of the oil leak.

IIPM will also conduct technical and safety inquiries with Andhra University Chemical Engineering experts. The Collector said that a report will be received within a week. "We were able to contain the fire within 45 minutes and production is continuing as usual in all the units except CDU-3," the collector said.

At around 3 pm on Tuesday, a fire broke out in the old unit of the refinery at the crude oil refinery (CD-3 plant) half a kilometer away from the tanker. The locals panicked and people in the vicinity tried to move to safer areas. Vigilant HPCL officers evacuated the crew immediately and informed fire stations. The CD-3 unit was staffed by a manager and four staff members at the time of the accident.

The HPCL fire crews tried to extinguish the blaze with their information. The fire was sparked by the presence of some petrol and diesel products in the process of refining crude oil. In addition to the 8 fire brigades, Naval Dockyard Visakhapatnam teams and HPCL fire safety personnel worked together for an hour and a half to contain the blaze at 4.30 pm.