Fire at HPCL refinery, two injured

Two contract workers sustained minor injuries after a fire broke out following a gas leak at one of the units of HPCL Visakh Refinery here on Thursday.

The fire was extinguished and the MS Block Reformer Unit where hydrocarbons leaked was shutdown as a precautionary measure, a company spokesman said.

The condition of the injured persons who were admitted to a corporate hospital was stated to be stable. Deputy Chief Inspector of Factories D. Chandrasekhar Varma told

The Hindu that they would conduct a probe into the cause of the incident. “It (fire) was due to a minor leak of hydrocarbon from one of the process vessel’s instrument connection. Immediate action was taken to control the fire by isolating the connected equipment. The related process unit has also been shut down,” the spokesman said. The fire was put out completely within an hour. There was no significant damage to any equipment.