Indian Oil Depot Burns – 500,000 Evacuated
Up to half a million people have been evacuated after a massive fire erupted at a fuel depot in the Indian city of Jaipur last night night.
Twelve people have been confirmed dead and at least 150 injured in the blaze, which continues to rage out of control more than 17 hours after it started.
The fire broke out at around 7:30 pm in a giant tank holding 8,000 kilolitres of oil. It swiftly spread out of control as huge flames leapt into the air and thick black smoke billowed into the night sky.
A series of massive explosions could be heard up to 20 miles away as the fire spread to from one tank to another. The Ministry of Earth Sciences said the impact of one explosion measure 2.3 on the Richter scale, usually used to measure earthquakes.
Thousands of people in nearby villages panicked and fled from their homes as the inferno spread to industrial units two miles away, burning them to the ground.
A leak in the oil pipeline could have triggered the fire. Indian Oil Company officials said the fire was likely to rage for up to 24 hours until the fuel burnt itself out. Powerless fireman could not get within 300 metres of the blaze and the use of helicopters was ruled out because the intensity of the heat would have made them ineffective.
From Asian Energy Reports
http://asianenergy.blogspot.com/2009/10/jaipur-oil-depot-500000-evacuated-as.html
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