INDIA – Ethanol Storage Tank Fire at BCL Distillery in Bathinda Contained; No Casualties Reported
A major fire broke out at an ethanol storage tank inside the BCL Industries distillery unit in Machhana village on the Bathinda-Dabwali road on Friday morning. Although the incident triggered panic in the surrounding area, authorities confirmed that no deaths or injuries were reported.
According to officials, the blaze started at around 9 a.m. and quickly engulfed the ethanol storage tank. Some residents of nearby villages claimed they heard a loud explosion around the time the fire erupted, with the sound reportedly carrying across the surrounding region.
The affected tank, which had the capacity to store several lakh litres of ethanol, presented significant challenges for firefighters due to the highly flammable nature of its contents. The intensity of the fire required a large-scale emergency response involving multiple agencies.
The distillery’s in-house firefighting team initially responded to the emergency with two fire tenders. As the flames intensified, additional assistance was sought from the Bathinda Municipal Corporation Fire Department, the HMEL refinery at Rama, the Bhisiana Air Force Station, and nearby industrial units.
Nearly 18 fire tenders from different locations were deployed to the site. After several hours of coordinated firefighting efforts, crews succeeded in bringing the blaze under control and preventing it from spreading to adjoining facilities and infrastructure.
Senior officials from the district administration and police reached the scene shortly after receiving information about the incident and closely monitored the rescue and containment operations.
A police official stated that there had been no loss of life as a result of the fire. However, authorities believe the incident may have caused substantial financial damage. The exact extent of the losses has yet to be assessed.
Officials from BCL Industries said the cause of the fire remains unknown. A specialised technical team has been assigned to investigate the incident and determine the factors that led to the outbreak of the blaze.
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