A day after a massive fire at the Indian Oil Corporation refinery in Mathura left eight injured, a senior official on Wednesday (November 13) elaborated on the details of how the blaze erupted. According to the information released by Renu Pathak, a senior manager at the refinery's corporate communications department, the flash fire erupted after a valve malfunctioned, leading to hydrocarbons mixing with steam that caused the accident.
"Preliminary findings indicate that the malfunction of a non-return valve in the crude distillation unit allowed hydrocarbons to mix with steam, triggering the flash fire," Pathak said.
"The explosion in the atmospheric vacuum unit of the main plant occurred on Tuesday (November 12) as it was restarted after a month-and-a-half shutdown for maintenance work," she added.
Significantly, she also informed that a committee would be constituted that would probe the cause of the fire. "The composition of the probe team would be finalized once senior officials arrive here from the headquarters," she remarked.
About the incident
On Tuesday (November 12), a massive fire broke out at the Indian Oil refinery in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura district. According to the information released, the fire erupted around 8.30 pm while the main plant was being restarted after 40 days of being shut. The official claimed that over 10 people were injured in the incident; however, the number was later re-confirmed to eight.
Significantly, Pathak also mentioned that of the total injured in the incident, they are being treated at various hospitals. While junior engineering assistant Irfan (32), shift in-charge Rajiv Kumar (33) and contractual worker Santosh (32) have been sent to the Apollo Hospitals in Delhi, the other injured patients, including Samir Srivastav (57) and Moolchand (58), were admitted to the refinery hospital, and Satyavan (33), Harendra (26), and Mukesh (45), were admitted to Metro Hospital in Faridabad. Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that all of the injured patients are reported to be in stable condition and are being closely monitored.
Fire brought under control
Meanwhile, the top communication officer from the Indian Oil Refinery also stated that the fire has been brought under control and the plant operation remains unaffected.
"Despite the fire, the plant's operations remained unaffected. The blaze was swiftly brought under control by the refinery's own fire tenders, with no external assistance required," Pathak stated.
Further, in the aftermath of the incident, District Magistrate Shailendra Singh also informed that the district administration was in constant contact with the refinery authorities to assess the situation and ensure that appropriate measures were taken.
(With inputs from PTI)
