The Oil and Natural Gas Corporation said the massive fire that broke out at the Hazira gas plant in Surat on Thursday morning has been completely extinguished. No casualties were reported and efforts were underway to resume normal operations at the plant, ONGC added.
Surat Collector Dhaval Patel told ANI the blaze was triggered by three consecutive blasts that took place in the plant late in the night. He did not specify the cause of the explosion.
“Firefighters are present at the spot,” Patel added. “The activity of depressurizing the pressurized gas system underway by ONGC officials.”
Images showed thick plumes of smoke billowing out of the plant. A gassy smell engulfed about 10 km of area around the ONGC plant from 1 am, according to Ahmedabad Mirror. Residents of Hazira told the newspaper they experienced strong tremors around 3 am due to the impact of the blasts.
Unidentified ONGC officials told Ahmedabad Mirror that the blasts took place at two of the 24 terminals of the plant. All terminals were shut down, they added.
Other industrial plants located in Hazira port, including Adani, Reliance, LarsenToubro and NTPC were also shut for an infinite period, according to the newspaper.
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