Jaipur: At least five people were killed and 150 injured when a major fire broke out at an Indian Oil depot in Sitapura industrial area near Jaipur on Thursday evening.
Many of the injuries were reported from nearby areas and caused due to the shattering of glass panes, officials said.
Though the cause of the fire was not known, according to eyewitnesses the fire broke out after gas leakage from one of the tanks. The Indian Oil depot has 11 huge tanks, and according to reports all of them have caught fire.
"The incident occurred at around 0715 hrs IST and we immediately pressed ambulances and fire tenders into service," a district administration official said.
"As a precautionary measure we have vacated the nearby villages," he said.
The injured have been admitted to the government-run SMS Hospital and the nearby Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, he said.
The fire was of great intensity and the flames could be seen from a distance of over 15 km.
A factory near the Indian Oil depot has been burnt to cinders, an official said.
"The fire can be put out only by tomorrow (Friday). It is very huge and there is danger of the blaze spreading," said an official.
People living in nearby areas heard loud explosions when the fire broke out.
"I work in a factory very near to the area. As soon as the fire broke out, we rushed out of our factory. We also heard a couple of loud explosions," Ramkumar, a worker in a small factory, said.
Amit Agarwal, a student of a private engineering college around two km away from the site, said the glass panes of his building were shattered due to the explosions.
Meanwhile, the administration is holding talks with the army to seek help in controlling the blaze as there is danger of it spreading to other areas.
Petroleum Minister Murli Deora, who is is slated to visit the spot on early Friday morning, has been keeping in touch with Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.
Speaking to a television channel in New Delhi, Deora said: "The fire is spreading fast and fire fighters are finding it very difficult to fight the blaze."
He informed that 20-22 fire tenders had been pressed into service.
A team of Indian Oil Corp officials has already reached the site.
Meanwhile. the Rajasthan government on Thursday night announced rupees two lakh as compensation to the next of the kin of those who were killed in the major fire. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who presided an emergency cabinet meeting late in the evening in the wake of the fire, said Rs one lakh would be given to the seriously injured and Rs 50,000 to those who suffered "normal" burn injuries.
He said all private hospitals have been asked to treat the injured and the government foot the bills of their treatment.
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