A fire broke out at the Indian Oil Corporation refinery in Gujarat’s Vadodara today. The blaze started at plant number A-1, A-2 and a boiler around 2 pm. The boiler exploded with a loud sound and the fire spread to the storage tanker as well. A siren was sounded after the explosion.
There are no reports of any serious injuries or fatalities so far, a police official said.
Visuals showed smoke billowing out of the refinery and the explosion was heard in a radius of 8 km. The locals came out of the nearby buildings as the blast shook their homes.
The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) said.
“Rescue operations are on. Things will be clear gradually,” said DCP (Traffic) Jyoti Patel. Workers who were present in the refinery were evacuated after the blast
BJP MLA Dharmendrasinh Vaghela said no death has been reported though a few people sustained minor injuries and were taken to a hospital.
The Indian Oil Corporation runs a 13.7 million metric tonnes per annum integrated refinery-cum-petrochemical complex in Gujarat.
