A major fire erupted within Mumbai's Port Trust premises at Wadala on Saturday evening, in a startling spectacle for drivers on the Eastern Freeway. The news first broke out on Twitter, with Freeway commuters and Wadala residents posting images of a massive cloud of thick smoke dangerously close to the elevated highway.


The fire department control room said the blaze was sparked off by an oil tanker burst. "It was a Castrol oil tanker that caught fire at 6.50 pm, and we have sent nine fire engines to contain it," said the control room official. "No casualties have been reported so far, but the fire is still not under control."

However, a Castrol spokesperson claimed that the company was not aware of the cause of the fire and denied that the fire had been caused by an oil tanker belonging to the firm. "The fire broke outside our Technology Centre," the spokesman said in an email message. "We had no oil tanker or any vehicle carrying any material near this Technology Centre."

He added, "Following a leak in an underground pipeline belonging to a neighbouring facility (not belonging to Castrol) in the morning, we had evacuated all employees from our facility and shut down the facility much before the fire broke out."

Twitter, meanwhile, warned fellow Mumbaiites not to head towards the Eastern Freeway, which has been closed for traffic for now.

 


Updated at 12.10 am June 14 to include Castrol spokesman's statement.