A massive fire broke out at an Indian Oil Corporation petrol pump near Raj Bhawan. The incident took place at around 1 PM on Wednesday in the capital and shook the nearby people.

According to the reports till now, eight people are seriously injured. L D Sahu, Director of Capital Hospital, informed that among those eight, two are in a crucial situation and shifted to SCB Medical College & Hospital in Cuttack, whereas the rest are treated in the hospital.

The officials stated that eight fire Brigade teams immediately came for the service, and the fire right now is under complete control at the petrol pump. They further said that the first precedence is to assure that the fire doesn’t spread to the other two tanks, which also contain petrol and diesel. Right now, the fire has been brought into total control. During the incident, Bhubaneswar DCP Umashankar Dash, along with other police officers, made sure no civilians are allowed near the petrol pump and blocked all the roads leading to the site and requested people to stay away 1.5 km radius of the petrol pump.

DCP also informed that the following area in Bhubaneswar would be sealed due to the fire mishap- AG Square to Raj Bhawan Square, Raj Bhawan Square, to Gopabandhu Square,  Power House square to Raj Bhawan Square. The ODRAF personnel also hurried to the spot, and eight more ambulances were reported at the site.

Commissioner of Police S S Sarangi asked IOCL to take immediate measures to evacuate the two tankers’ fuel. Till now, the cause of the fire is yet to be not known. The civilians said that they hear a massive sound of the blast and felt like an earthquake. An employee of the gas station who is injured informed that the fire suddenly broke out inside the underground gas chamber when LPG was being transferred from an LPG truck and the gas chamber exploded, resulting in the blowing off of the roof.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik informed that the State Government would take care of all the cost of the treatment of the injured and also wished them a speedy recovery.

Article Written by Dikhya Mohanty

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