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Massive fire in Gorakhpur: A massive fire broke out in an oil plant in Gorakhpur city of Uttar Pradesh at around 4 am on Friday morning. The fire was so huge that the flames continued to rise for more than 12 hours.
Massive fire in Gorakhpur: A massive fire broke out in an oil plant in Gorakhpur city of Uttar Pradesh at around 4 am on Friday morning. The fire was so huge that the flames continued to rise for more than 12 hours. There is no news of any casualty in the incident yet. The fire broke out in a tank filled with about 25,000 liters of edible oil. Officials said that despite continuous efforts of 25 fire engines, the fire could not be controlled till late evening. Senior officials including the District Magistrate (DM), Divisional Commissioner and Inspector General of Police reached the spot, while an NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) team from Lucknow and technical experts from Delhi were sent to the spot. According to Chief Fire Officer Santosh Kumar, all 600 small and medium factories within a 500 meter radius of the burning unit have been closed as a precautionary measure. The entire area has been sealed to prevent public access.
Workers ran away as soon as the fire broke out
He said that the fire department personnel fear that if the flames reach inside the tank, an explosion may occur, due to which continuous cooling operations have to be carried out. According to officials, this incident took place at Rungta Industries Limited located in Gorakhpur Industrial Development Area (GIDA) Sector-15. The fire broke out in the supply pipeline of an underground oil tank. As soon as the flames rose, the workers evacuated the premises. He said fire brigade teams formed four special units to handle the situation and have been trying to control the fire for hours. The company that installed the tank has been called from Delhi to find out the location of supply disruption. According to experts, the fire can be extinguished only if the oil supply is stopped or the entire stock is burnt. Firefighters have been pouring water for more than nine hours to cool the tank. Sand is also being brought in to create a wet buffer zone to prevent explosions.
25 fire engines were used to extinguish the fire
Spread over three acres, the plant is surrounded by Indane and HP gas units, raising concerns over the situation worsening. Technical experts have warned of damage within a 50-feet radius of the tank, due to which officials have stopped movement in the area. Meanwhile, two leakage points have been observed. Initial reports suggest that the fire may have started during maintenance work. Engineers from Indian Oil and other companies have reached the spot. Additional fire engines from industrial units in and around Lucknow have also joined the operation. DM Meena has confirmed that there is no information about any casualty. Said that it may take five to six more hours to control the fire. Acting Senior Superintendent of Police Abhinav Tyagi said that initially around 25 fire tenders were deployed. More vehicles have been called from neighboring districts. A large-scale rescue and containment operation is underway with the help of four dedicated teams of fire personnel and NDRF. The authorities have sealed the entire industrial area until the fire is controlled.
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