Two people lost their lives and one was injured after a massive explosion followed by a fire rocked the Koyali facility of the Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) Gujarat Refinery in Vadodara on Monday afternoon.
The fire, which started on Monday afternoon with an explosion in a benzene storage tank, spread to two additional tanks at the refinery, located in the Koyali area on the outskirts of Vadodara. Jawahar Nagar police station inspector A.B. Mori reported that the blaze was eventually brought under control after extensive efforts, which continued into the early hours of Tuesday.
The victims, identified as Dhimant Makwana and Shailesh Makwana, tragically died in the fire. An IOCL employee also sustained injuries and is being treated at a private hospital. Police have stated that the injured person’s condition is stable.
Vadodara district collector, Bijal Shah, confirmed the fatality, reporting that the explosion occurred in a storage tank at the refinery. “One burnt body was recovered from the spot,” Shah said in a statement to a section of media on Monday evening.
The explosion took place around 3:30 pm in a 1,000 KL benzene storage tank at the Gujarat Refinery. In response, IOCL officials said that the refinery’s emergency response team was swiftly addressing the situation. “Firefighting operations are currently underway, with the adjacent water sprinkler system activated to help contain the blaze. The cause of the fire is still under investigation,” the company said in a statement.
Despite efforts to douse the flames, the fire could not be fully extinguished until late on Monday night. “The fire has been confined to the tank where it started and has not spread to any nearby tanks. However, it has not been completely put out. We are continuing our efforts to ensure that the fire is extinguished as soon as possible,” Shah told a section of media.
A thick plume of smoke from the fire was visible from as far as 5 km away and several residents living within a 2.5 km radius reported feeling their doors shake and windows shatter following the blast.
The IOC issued a statement on November 12 that the refinery had been extinguished at around 2 am on November 12, by the firefighting team. They have also formed a high-level committee to thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident.
Firefighting teams from the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), as well as from nearby GIDC areas such as Nandesari and Halol and from GAIL, were called in to assist with the operation. “We sent two teams to the refinery with foam to support the firefighting efforts,” said Nikunj Azad, in-charge chief fire officer of VMC.
Due to the highly flammable nature of benzene, officials noted that the fire was difficult to control, as the chemical burns with a smoky flame.
Officials from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) and local politicians also rushed to the site. “We are currently at Koyali village monitoring air quality and determining whether any evacuation is necessary. There is no foul smell at the moment, and evacuation does not seem required,” said GPCB’s regional officer, J. M Mahida. The GPCB is continuing to monitor air quality in nearby villages.
This is not the first time the Gujarat Refinery has been rocked by explosions. In October 2004, a major blast at the refinery left 13 people injured, including both employees and contractors. The explosion occurred at the Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) unit, resulting in significant damage. In 2005, another potential disaster was averted when a fire broke out in the pipelines connected to the newly constructed FCC unit. Additionally, in June 2010, a major fire broke out in Karachiya village near the refinery.
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