A major fire incident broke out at the East India Petroleum Limited (EIPL) facility in Vizag on Sunday afternoon (September 7) after a lightning strike hit a methanol tanker during a thunderstorm. The incident occurred at around 2:30 pm and triggered an alarm across the industrial belt before emergency services brought the situation under control.
Eyewitnesses reported a sudden explosion-like sound when the lightning bolt struck, followed by flames rising from the tanker despite heavy rain.
Fire and foam tenders from multiple agencies, including the state fire department, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL), the Visakhapatnam Port Authority, and Andhra Petrochemicals Ltd, rushed to the spot within minutes.
More than 50 personnel were deployed in the firefighting operation, which lasted nearly an hour. Their swift response prevented the blaze from spreading to nearby diesel storage tanks, avoiding a far more serious disaster.
Regional Fire Officer Niranjan Reddy confirmed that approximately 1,000 litres of methanol were destroyed in the blaze. Although the tank has a storage capacity of 7,500 kilolitres, only a limited quantity was affected. Crucially, there were no casualties or injuries, as workers were not in proximity to the tanker at the time of the lightning strike.
The EIPL plant plays a key role in Vizag’s regional industrial ecosystem, supplying methanol to various sectors, including pharmaceuticals and chemicals, across Vizag and even in Andhra Pradesh. Local officials noted that the incident has revived discussions about improving lightning protection systems in high-risk industrial zones.
This is not the first incident of a lightning strike causing fire in Vizag. In July 2017, a lightning strike ignited a crude oil tank at the HPCL refinery in the same vicinity, and then too the fire was contained without loss of life.
Also read: CM Naidu Unveils Plans for International Arbitration Centre in Vizag and Space in Tirupati.
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