Huge fire at HPCL oil refinery in Visakhapatnam, India, after reports of an explosion
A large fire broke out on Monday night, 2 November, at the Visakh Refinery of Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) in Visakhapatnam, in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Residents reported hearing an explosion and videos showed tall flames and thick black smoke, but police have not confirmed a blast. According to police and HPCL officials, the fire started in a pitch tank at the refinery's Residue Upgradation Facility. The refinery's own fire crews brought it under control within about an hour, and no deaths or injuries were reported. The cause is still under investigation.
A major fire broke out on Monday night at the Visakh Refinery of state-run Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) in Visakhapatnam, a port city in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Flames rose high above the refinery and thick black smoke drifted over the nearby Malkapuram and Sriharipuram areas. Commuters filmed the blaze from adjoining roads, and the videos spread quickly on social media.
Footage of the fire at the refinery on Monday night:
Residents said they had heard the sound of an explosion, and several outlets first reported a blast. Police have not confirmed an explosion. HPCL sources told The Times of India that a tank explosion was considered unlikely, and officials are still examining what happened.
An HPCL official told The New Indian Express that the fire started in a pitch tank at the refinery's Residue Upgradation Facility (RUF). Police described it as a sulphur pitch tank. The official said the smoke was especially thick because of the high viscosity of the product stored in the tank. According to The Times of India, the tank held RUF pitch oil, an intermediate product used to make bitumen.
Visakhapatnam Police Commissioner Shankhabrata Bagchi said there were no casualties. He said the fire was confined to the tank and posed no threat to other parts of the refinery, and that the smoke was not considered hazardous. The refinery's internal fire crews tackled the blaze. A Malkapuram police inspector said city fire stations had been put on alert but were not needed, and that the flames were brought under control within about an hour.
As a precaution, refinery officials cut power to the affected area and moved personnel to safer places, police said. "There is no need for any panic," the inspector told reporters, adding that there were no casualties and no injuries.
The cause of the fire has not been established. An HPCL official said the extent of the damage would be assessed on Tuesday. The same facility, the Residue Upgradation Facility, was hit in September 2025, when a hydrogen leak caused a loud bang and a fire while the unit was still under construction. Nobody was hurt then either.