Visakhapatnam: A huge fire broke out at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) refinery in Visakhapatnam on Tuesday.
Flames and dense smoke were seen at the facility as firefighters were rushed to the scene.
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Rescue teams helped employees to move out of the refinery.
"Prima facie it appears that an old HPCL terminal has crashed. However, the cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained," an official said.
While occasional blasts due to the accumulation of organic matter are common, locals believe the latest accident could be a huge one with many fires erupting.
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The Visakhapatnam HPCL consists of three units with the fire taking place in the third one, which contains highly combustible materials. '
According to sources, the fire broke out at the crude distillation unit.
Firefighters struggled to control the massive blaze and called for reinforcements from neighbouring areas.
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