Massive fire erupts at Rajasthan’s HPCL refinery; PM Modi’s inauguration postponed

A major fire erupted at the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL) petrochemical complex in Rajasthan’s Balotra district on Monday, just a day before Narendra Modi was scheduled to inaugurate the facility. The incident prompted authorities to postpone the high-profile event, citing safety concerns.

The blaze broke out in the vicinity of the crude distillation unit (CDU), a critical component of refinery operations, triggering an emergency response and widespread precautionary measures across the complex. Thick plumes of smoke were seen rising from the site as firefighting teams rushed to contain the flames.

Inauguration deferred after incident

Confirming the development, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said the Prime Minister’s planned dedication of the refinery on April 21 would be rescheduled.

In a statement posted on X, the Ministry said, "Due to an unfortunate fire incident today in the vicinity of the Crude Distillation Unit at the HRRL refinery, the scheduled dedication of the refinery by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 21.04.2026 has been postponed. The fire has been brought under control. There are no reports of any casualties. An investigation has been initiated to ascertain the cause(s) of the incident and to undertake necessary remedial measures. A revised date for the dedication will be announced in due course.,"

Fire contained, no casualties reported

Officials said the fire was brought under control within about two hours. More than a dozen fire tenders, along with teams from the district administration, police and civil defence, were deployed to the site to tackle the blaze.

The entire area was evacuated as a precaution, and all employees and staff were moved to safe zones. Authorities confirmed that no injuries or fatalities have been reported so far.

Emergency systems within the refinery were activated immediately after the fire broke out, helping to contain the situation before it could escalate further. However, officials noted that a full assessment of the damage would only be possible once the site is completely stabilised.

Possible cause under investigation

While the exact cause of the fire has not yet been officially confirmed, preliminary information suggests that the incident may have been triggered by an explosion in a heat exchanger near the CDU-VDU section, referring to the crude and vacuum distillation units.

The Ministry has ordered an investigation to determine the origin of the fire and recommend corrective measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Strategic refinery project

The HRRL refinery at Pachpadra in Balotra district is a greenfield refinery-cum-petrochemical complex with a capacity of 9 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA). Of this, 2.4 MMTPA is dedicated to petrochemical production.

The project, valued at ₹79,459 crore, is a joint venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and the Government of Rajasthan, with the state holding a 26% equity stake.

(With PTI inputs)