Mumbai: The fire at the Mahul refinery of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) was doused around 1 a.m. on Thursday. The fire brigade suspects inflammable vapours leaked from the tank came in contact with the atmosphere triggering the explosion. BPCL has initiated a probe into the incident.
On Wednesday, the fire broke out at the refinery’s 72-tonne hydrocracker plant around 2.45 p.m. Teams from BPCL, HPCL, Mumbai fire brigade, BARC, and ONGC swung into action.
“The liquid hydrocarbon was undergoing a process called cracking under high temperature and pressure. There are hydrocarbon vapours inside the plant which may have leaked. When the concentration of these vapours increases in the air, they form a cloud. What triggered it to explode is unknown. May be it self-ignited,” an officer from the Mumbai Fire Brigade, who was part of the operation, said.
Meanwhile, many residents of Mahul spent a sleepless night. “People are very anxious. Most of us were awake all night as the building had felt shock waves following the explosion. Some buildings have developed cracks. What if one of them collapses? Nobody from BMC or BPCL has come to inquire about us,” Nandu Shinde, a resident of SRA colony that houses BMC’s project-affected people, said.
Some residents went to live with their relatives but most did not have that choice. They reiterated their demand of being shifted out of the area.
However, strong winds ensured that the smoke did not affect Mumbai’s air quality. According to SAFAR, Chembur’s air quality index was in the ‘good’ category on Thursday. The same was for the entire city as well.
Gufran Beig, director, SAFAR, said, “In monsoon, when it is not raining, wind speeds are generally high. That is why, the smoke dissipated quickly. It would have affected the air quality if there had been continuous smoke for two-three days.”
