FIRE BREAKS OUT AT HPCL VISAKHAPATNAM REFINERY STORAGE TANK, BLAZE CONTAINED WITHOUT CASUALTIES
November 3, 2026
VISAKHAPATNAM, NOVEMBER 3: A fire broke out at a pitch intermediate storage tank at Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited’s (HPCL) Visakhapatnam refinery late on Monday, producing towering flames and thick black smoke. The blaze was brought under control within a short time, and no casualties or injuries were reported.
According to HPCL, the fire was reported at around 10 pm on November 2 and remained confined to the pitch tank area. The company confirmed the incident in a statement posted on X on Tuesday, saying that the fire had been localised and contained promptly.
The refinery’s fire and safety team immediately activated firefighting and emergency response measures to control the blaze. An HPCL official also confirmed that nobody had been killed or injured in the incident.
The company said all refinery units continued to operate safely after the fire was brought under control. It reiterated its commitment to maintaining high standards of industrial safety and emergency preparedness.
The Visakhapatnam refinery has a crude processing capacity of 15 million metric tonnes per annum. During the 2025–26 financial year, it processed a record 16.04 million metric tonnes of crude oil.
Commissioned in 1957 by Caltex Oil Refining India Ltd, the facility was India's first oil refinery on the eastern coast. It initially had a crude processing capacity of 0.675 million metric tonnes per annum before being expanded in several phases. The refinery and its marketing facilities were nationalised in 1976 and amalgamated with HPCL in 1978.
The facility produces a range of petroleum products, including liquefied petroleum gas, propylene, naphtha, petrol, aviation turbine fuel, kerosene, diesel, fuel oils, bitumen and sulphur.
Although the fire was contained without reported casualties, the incident has drawn attention to the importance of emergency response systems and safety arrangements at major petroleum-processing facilities.
