One worker was killed and two others injured when a major fire broke out at an Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) refinery in Vadodara’s Nandesari city on Monday afternoon following the explosion of a benzene storage tank, police said.
According to the IOCL statement, the fire broke out around 3.30 pm in Tank number 68 – a 1,000 KL benzene storage tank. While one of the three workers, who was confirmed to have suffered burns, died while being treated; the other two were treated at a private hospital.
Vadodara Police Commissioner, Narasimha Komar, told The Indian Express, “We can confirm that one IOCL employee, who had burn injuries, died while two others were being treated. Efforts to control the spread of the fire are ongoing.” The deceased worker has been identified as Dhimant Makwana who is a resident of Anand
After the explosion, smoke was seen coming from the water treatment plant. A statement issued by IOCL at 5.30 pm emphasized that, “Today, a fire was reported at around 3:30 pm in the benzene storage tank (1,000 KL capacity) at Gujarat Refinery. The refinery’s emergency response team is actively dealing with the situation, with firefighting plans in place. A nearby sprinkler system has been activated to contain the fire, and extinguishment efforts are underway. The cause of the fire is still unknown,” the statement reads.
After 11 fire tenders were rushed to the area, Vadodara District Collector Bijal Shah told The Indian Express that some foam tenders were called to Ankleshwar industrial area in Bharuch district to be kept on standby.
Foam tenders of the Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services (VFES) of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation were also rushed to the spot on Monday evening. Between 6:00 and 8:30 p.m., two more explosions were reported inside the refinery, officials said. The police confirmed that the explosion occurred in the second tank connected to Tank number 68, which first saw the explosion on Monday afternoon. The police also said that the refinery has 268 tanks with different chemicals in the premises. The explosion occurred in a separate area where flammable liquid benzene is stored.
Nikunj Azad, Incharge Chief Fire Officer, VFES, said that firefighters were trying to control the fire and the cooling process was “in progress”. Azad also confirmed that VFES firefighters suffered minor burn injuries while fighting the flames.
“It’s a minor injury and the policeman is still working and fighting the fire,” said Azad.
District Collector Bijal Shah said that fire tenders have been rushed to other districts to stop the work as it is expected to continue throughout the night.
“The groups are trying to extinguish the fire so that it does not spread.” Additional foam fire tenders will arrive from Ankleshwar and remain on standby as teams will need to be replaced if firefighting continues overnight. We are taking all safety precautions and the necessary evacuations inside the refinery have been carried out. So far, the surrounding areas where people live are not facing any danger, but if necessary, we will start evacuation of residents,” said Shah. A case of accidental death has been registered at the Jawaharnagar police station and an investigation has been started.
At 9:45 pm on Monday, the Ahmedabad Fire And Emergency Services (AFES) sent foam tenders and 10 fire tenders to the IOCL refinery in Vadodara where two explosions had occurred during the day. This development was confirmed by Extra CFO Mithun Mistry.
CFO Basant Pareek of Surat Fire and Emergency Services (SFES) also confirmed that two foam tender vehicles were being sent to the refinery.
At 10:15 pm, Gandhinagar Fire and Emergency Services (GFES) sent a water bowser and seven fire fighters to the refinery, said CFO Kaizad Dastoor in charge.
IOCL officials told The Indian Express that details of workers – who may have been at risk – are being collected. “The safety of our employees and the surrounding communities remains our top priority. Refining operations are common. Further updates will be provided as the situation develops,” the official statement read.
During the rescue operations, ambulances were seen running out of the refinery. Senior police officers, District Collector and Industrial Disaster Response teams also visited the site.
Meanwhile, the traffic police and DCP Traffic Jyoti Patel rushed to the spot following the incident to control traffic and disperse people from neighbors who had gathered on the roads in panic.