Haldia/Kolkata: One person died, and more than 20 others were injured after a major fire broke out in a naphtha-carrying pipeline of Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd (HPL) in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district in the early hours of Tuesday, police said.
The fire continued to burn in a small section of a naphtha-carrying pipeline owned by Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd even after 15 hours. A 38-year-old woman succumbed to her burn injuries at a city hospital, police said.
Four others remained “very critical” and are undergoing treatment at hospitals in the city, while 16 others are being treated at different medical facilities in the district, an officer said.
“The fire has been largely doused, except for a small section near the pipeline that is still burning. There is still a significant amount of naphtha there, which is fuelling the fire,” a senior police officer told PTI.
“Because of the presence of naphtha, the fire could not be completely extinguished. It may take another eight to 10 hours,” he said.
The fire was first spotted around 2.45 am, the officer said, adding that it quickly spread, engulfing several houses in the Chiranjibpur area of Ward 13 under Haldia Municipality.
“Manu Bibi, wife of Robaiyul of Bhabanipur, succumbed to her burn injuries in the hospital. The condition of four others is also very critical. Three persons were discharged after receiving preliminary treatment,” the IPS officer said.
Twelve fire tenders were deployed, and firefighting operations are still underway, police said.
“Over 20 people, mostly locals, were injured in the fire. Out of them, five are critical. Some are undergoing treatment here while some were referred to hospitals in Kolkata,” he said, adding that among the injured were two security personnel of the company.
The injured were initially taken to the Haldia Sub-Divisional Hospital. Five of them were later shifted to Tamluk Medical College and Hospital, he said.
“The firefighters are using foam and fly ash, and hopefully the blaze will be doused soon,” the officer said, noting that a few houses were completely gutted in the fire.
“We suspect that leakage from the naphtha pipeline led to the fire, but a formal investigation will reveal the exact cause,” he said.
The blaze also damaged overhead railway equipment near the site, disrupting train services, officials said.
In a statement, HPL said preliminary information has indicated that the incident might have occurred in the vicinity of an unauthorised naphtha theft point near its plant.
Naphtha is a highly combustible and extremely flammable hydrocarbon, and HPL has repeatedly cautioned local communities against unauthorised access to or handling of petroleum products because of the associated safety risks, it said.
“It would be premature to comment further or attribute responsibility until the investigation is complete,” the company said, maintaining that it would continue to cooperate fully with the investigating agencies.
“Our thoughts are with those affected,” it added.
