4 Dead, 5,000 Evacuated After ONGC Plant Fire

A major fire broke out on Tuesday morning at ONGC’s oil and gas processing complex at Uran near Navi Mumbai. The fire and the resulting explosions led to the death of three security personnel and one company official. The fire also partially knocked down the processing facility, which has resulted in a shortage of CNG at fuel stations across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. ONGC tweeted early in the morning that there was a fire in the plant’s stormwater drain but it was doused within two hours by the firefighting team.

The PSU’s robust crisis mitigation preparedness helped put off a major fire in a very short time, it added. Cooling operations are now underway.

The ONGC industrial complex processes oil and gas produced at the Bombay High oilfield. An ONGC corporate communication official said that as a precautionary measure, the gas from Bombay High has been diverted to ONGC’s Hazira plant near Surat.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) said firefighting personnel Eranna Nayaka, Mahendra Kumar and Satish Prasad lost their lives.

The explosions rattled the residents in the neighbouring villages and, as a precautionary measure, about 5,000 of them were relocated. Janardhan Bhoir of Navghar village said that houses within a 1 km vicinity of the plant were evacuated. The flames were so high that the leaves of 30-foot-tall trees were burnt, said residents.

Fire brigade personnel of JNPT and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation also helped douse the fire. The area around the plant is considered sensitive due to its proximity to the JNPT port and the strategic assets of the Navy.

The ONGC said there was no impact on oil processing and that the gas was diverted to its Hazira plant in Surat district of Gujarat. The ONGC complex processes all the oil and gas, which gets produced at Bombay High oil fields.

“Fire broke out in storm water drainage in Uran Plant early morning successfully doused within two hours by fire fighting team. #ONGCs robust crisis mitigation preparedness helped put off this major fire in a very short time,” the ONGC said in a tweet.