Fire at HPCL refinery in Malkapuram triggered by sulfur pitch, no casualties reported
Visakhapatnam : The fire that broke out at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (HPCL) refinery in Malkapuram has been brought completely under control, with no casualties or injuries reported, Malkapuram Circle Inspector E Narasimha Rao said.
Speaking about the incident, Narasimha Rao said the fire broke out in the sulfur unit, involving a product known as sulfur pitch, which he described as a waste or bottom product.
He said there was no cause for panic, as everyone was safe and the situation had been brought under control.
“There are no casualties, no injuries and no major issues. Everyone is safe, and there is no need for panic,” he said.
The Circle Inspector added that HPCL’s own fire tenders were handling the situation locally, and no external assistance was required.
Meanwhile, all units at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (HPCL) Visakhapatnam Refinery are operating safely following a fire incident at a pitch intermediate storage tank on Monday, the company said.
In a post on X, HPCL said the fire was reported at around 10 pm on November 2, following which the refinery’s Fire and Safety Team promptly activated firefighting and emergency response measures.
“The fire was localised to pitch tank area and was brought under control within a short time. There has been no casualties,” the company said.
HPCL further stated that all units of the refinery were working safely and reiterated its commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety and emergency preparedness.
“All the Units of the Refinery are working safely. HPCL remains committed to the highest standards of safety and emergency preparedness,” HPCL said.
Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) Dileep Chakravarthy, who visited the site, said the fire was fully extinguished using the firefighting equipment installed at the plant and equipment deployed by the Andhra Pradesh Fire Department.
“There is no cause for worry, and no injuries or casualties have been reported. People are requested not to panic about the incident,” Chakravarthy said.
Describing the incident, the RDO said a small blast was reported at the refinery, following which a fire broke out.
Chakravarthy said an enquiry would be initiated into industrial safety at the facility in accordance with the applicable safety norms. “There will be an enquiry about industrial safety in that, as per industry safety norms. But for the public, it is to be noted that there is no cause of worry. It is fully under control,” he added.
Meanwhile, an eyewitness described seeing flames rising from the facility and said people were frightened by the incident. Another eyewitness said the flames appeared large and that people moved away out of fear.
