PARADIP : A fire at the Paradip terminal, of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), on Saturday resulted in the complete destruction of one oil tanker, while two others sustained partial damage. The timely intervention of the Paradip and Kujang fire brigades, along with vigilant drivers, prevented the spread of the fire to other areas of the terminal site, averting a major disaster.
On the day of the incident, approximately four oil tankers were stranded at the terminal, awaiting loading of petroleum products from the BPCL depot located just 100 metre away. While one tanker was fully gutted by the fire, another managed to escape the scene due to prompt actions by its driver. The remaining two tankers sustained partial damage.
Investigation into the cause of the fire is on, while initial speculation point to a short circuit in the battery of one of the oil tankers, possibly fuelled by severe heatwave conditions. Fortunately, the absence of fuel in the stranded tankers prevented the fire from spreading to nearby depots or other oil tankers, averting further damage.
While BPCL officials declined to comment, they assured that the situation was under control. Fire officer Kartik Kumar Biswal of Kujang confirmed the joint efforts of the CISF, Paradip, and Kujang fire brigades in containing the fire. One tanker has been damaged while no casualties have been reported.