Refinery Fire Injures Workers
Naphtha Pipeline Fire at Haldia Refinery Injures 15 Workers; Investigation Underway
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Key Points
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Naphtha is a highly flammable petroleum product used in the production of fuels such as gasoline and kerosene, which heightens the danger of a pipeline blaze.
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Some of the injured were reportedly suffering serious burn injuries.
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Refinery authorities had not yet issued an official statement on the cause of the incident at the time of reporting.
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Timing of the outbreak varied across reports, with some saying the fire began between 4:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m. and others noting 4:00 a.m. to 4:30 a.m.; the incident occurred in Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal.
A fire tore through a naphtha-carrying pipeline at the Haldia refinery complex in West Bengal early Tuesday, injuring between 15 and 35 workers and residents, according to Reuters and Telangana Today. At least six people are in critical condition, with some transferred to specialized burn units in Kolkata. No fatalities have been reported so far.
The blaze broke out around 4:00 a.m. in the Chiranjibpur area of Haldia Municipality, sending thick black smoke visible for miles into the sky, according to Market Screener. Twelve fire tenders battled the flames for nearly seven hours. The fire also damaged overhead electrical equipment, forcing authorities to suspend train services on the Haldia-Panskura line.
How an Unauthorized Tap Point May Have Started It All
Haldia Petrochemicals Limited (HPL) pointed to an unauthorized naphtha theft point as the likely cause of the fire. An HPL spokesperson said: "Preliminary information suggests that the incident may have occurred in the vicinity of an unauthorized naphtha theft point." The company added that it had previously warned local communities against accessing petroleum pipelines without authorization, according to Reuters.
Naphtha is a highly flammable petroleum product. It is valuable on the black market, which drives criminal groups to illegally tap into pipelines — a dangerous practice known as hot-tapping. West Bengal police from East Midnapore district have secured the area and launched a high-level investigation, according to Hindustan Times.
Fire Spreads to Homes, Halts Trains, and Overwhelms Hospitals
The fire did not stay contained to the pipeline. It spread to several houses in Ward 13 of Haldia Municipality, according to ET Now News. Local residents and refinery staff carried out initial rescues before emergency services arrived. The injured were first taken to Haldia Sub-Divisional Hospital, with the most critical cases then moved to Tamluk Medical College and burn units in Kolkata.
The damage extended to the Haldia-Panskura railway line, a key route for moving refined products across East India. Burning naphtha destroyed overhead electrical equipment, forcing a full suspension of train services during the morning hours, according to Market Screener. Industrial safety analysts say the fire's rapid spread into residential areas points to a failure in the buffer zone protocols between the refinery and the local municipality.
Haldia's Troubled History With Industrial Accidents
This is not Haldia's first major industrial disaster. In December 2021, a fire at the Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) refinery — a 2.5 million metric ton per year facility built in 1975 — killed three people and injured 44 during a maintenance shutdown. A separate chemical leak in September 2024 raised fresh questions about aging infrastructure in the Purba Medinipur industrial belt, according to the live research briefing prepared for this report.
Initial media reports named IOCL's refinery as the site of Tuesday's blaze, but the focus has since shifted to HPL's pipeline infrastructure. The two companies operate in the same industrial zone, which covers 612 acres at the meeting point of the Haldi and Hooghly rivers. The overlap in facilities has created confusion about which company bears responsibility, according to ET Now News.
Supply Chain Risks Grow as Investigation Opens
HPL has not confirmed whether operations have been halted. But with the naphtha pipeline offline, downstream production of chemicals and plastics could contract by 15 to 20 percent in the coming quarter, according to the research briefing. Opposition politicians in West Bengal are already demanding an audit of the pipeline's surveillance systems. They are questioning how an unauthorized tap point could exist without the knowledge of security staff.
Toxic black smoke from burning naphtha also poses an immediate health risk to Haldia's residents. Authorities are still assessing the full extent of the damage. The exact casualty count is pending verification by the Purba Medinipur District Magistrate, and refinery officials have not yet issued a full public statement on the cause, according to Reuters.
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