Bhubaneswar: 8 injured in fire at petrol pump

A major fire broke out at an Indian Oil Corporation petrol pump near Raj Bhavan in Bhubaneshwar (Express photo)

Eight people were injured in a major fire at a petrol pump near the Governor House square in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday afternoon.

Two of the critically injured have been shifted to SCB hospital, Cuttack, and others are being treated at Capital hospital, Bhubaneswar, officials said.

“One of the critically injured patients has suffered 60 per cent burn injuries and the other has suffered 40 per cent burn injuries. Both of them have suffered head injuries too,” said Dr Bibhuti Nayak, plastic surgery department, SCB hospital. The road from AG square to the Governor’s House has been sealed, police officers said.

Three fire tenders were deployed contain the fire and it was brought under control in an hour (Express photo)

While the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, sources in the fire department said that as per preliminary investigation, the fire started in an LPG tank which led to a major explosion. The effect of the explosion was felt within a 2 km radius.

Deputy Fire Officer Ramesh Majhi said, “A joint investigation will be launched with the fire department, explosives department and officials from IOCL. The cause of the fire is not known and this is a very preliminary stage to guess what could have caused the fire. Our first response was to contain the blaze and avoid any further damage.”

Three fire tenders were pressed in action to contain the fire. The blaze was brought under control within an hour.

Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, Dharmendra Pradhan has ordered an investigation. “I have asked the petroleum and natural gas secretary and IOCL to investigate the incident and submit a report on the incident immediately,” Pradhan tweeted. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced free treatment for those injured in the fire.

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