KOLKATA: Around 15 people sustained burn injuries after a massive fire broke out at a naphtha-carrying pipeline of Haldia Petrochemicals in West Bengal’s East Midnapore district in the early hours of Tuesday.
More than 12 fire fighting engines were pressed into service to douse the fire spotted around 3 am on Tuesday.
According to the local administration, the fire quickly spread to Chiranjibpur in the Haldia Municipality area engulfing several houses.
The injured were rescued and taken to Haldia Sub-Divisional Hospital. Five of them were later shifted to Tamluk Medical College and Hospital, where two were reported to be in critical condition.
“The area has been secured, and firefighting operations are continuing. The exact cause of the incident will be known only after a detailed investigation,” he said.
The blaze also damaged overhead railway equipment near the site, disrupting train services, sources said.
Locals said that a massive burst took place in the pipeline carrying naphtha in the Haldia Petrochemicals are causing fire, which rapidly engulfed several houses.
Local MLA of Haldia Pradip Bijli visited the soon after he came to know about the incident. “A leakage in the naphtha pipeline triggered the fire with a massive burst. But the cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained,” he said.
The petrochemicals authorities said that an inquiry has been initiated to find out the exact reason behind the fire. The first priority is to ensure the safety of the employees and other people concerned.
The nearby train services between Haldia and Panskura has been disrupted because of the overhead electrical line and transformer close to the spot were also badly damaged during the burst.
Considering the situations normal train services from Haldia to Howrah Station were also delayed, according to the sources.
