NE NEWS SERVICE
SURAT, SEPT 24
A fire broke out at the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation’s (ONGC) Hazira gas processing plant in Surat district in the wee hours on Thursday, an official said.
The blaze was preceded by three blasts, and has been extinguished, the official said.
The massive blaze could be seen from a distance of several km, eyewitnesses said. Some also posted videos of the explosions and the fire on social media.
“The fire broke out in the inlet gas terminal after three massive blasts at 3.05 am. The compressed gas was depressurised to bring the fire under control,” Surat District Collector Dhaval Patel said.
Fire vehicles of the ONGC, Surat Municipal Corporation, and local industrial units rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control, he said.
The inlet gas terminal where the fire broke out was cordoned off and the plant secured, he said, adding the cause of the fire will be ascertained after cooling operations are completed.
No other industry in the area was affected, he said.
The ONGC in a tweet said, “A fire was observed in the Hazira Gas processing plant in the morning today. The fire has been brought under control. There is no casualty or injury to any person.”
“Fire has been completely extinguished. Efforts are being made to resume normal operations at the earliest,” it said in another tweet.
Meanwhile, police said they were informed that a 45- year-old man died after sparks from the blast burnt down the shanty in which he was sleeping, outside the plant.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Panna Momaya said police were informed shortly afternoon, about a charred body being found outside the plant, hours after the blaze was put out.
She said a team of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) was called to ascertain the cause of his death.
The man who informed police about the body claimed he died after a spark from the blast fell on the plastic cover of his shanty located outside the plant, she said.
Another police official said the distance between the spot of the fire and the place where the body was found, is around 250 metres.
