Rajasthan CM Visits Pachpadra Refinery Fire Site
The fire, which broke out at the Pachpadra refinery in Balotra district of Rajasthan, occurred less than 24 hours before the inauguration of the refinery by Prime Minister Narendra Modi
April 21, 2026 - Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma visited the Pachpadra Refinery on Tuesday (April 21) and took stock of the situation. He held discussions with officials for two and a half hours. The National Investigative Agency (NIA) also visited the refinery to investigate the fire which broke out on Monday (April 20) at the refinery in Balotra district of Rajasthan.
The fire occurred less than 24 hours before the inauguration of the refinery by Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising security issues.
Earlier, CM Sharma had ordered a high-level inquiry into the incident. He said things were currently under control and he was in talks with the concerned authorities about the situation. Keeping safety measures in mind, PM Modi’s visit to the refinery has been put off. The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has said a new date for the inauguration will be announced later.
The refinery is a Rs 79,000+ crore mega project and a joint venture of HPCL and the Rajasthan government. It is India’s first greenfield integrated refinery-petrochemical complex.
The State Government and HPCL have started a formal probe into the incident of the fire which broke out around 1:00-2:00 pm. It originated in the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) — the core processing unit of the refinery, according to HPCL. Thick smoke was seen and firefighters took about two hours to bring it under control.
Initial investigation by HPCL indicates that the fire may have been triggered by a hydrocarbon leak likely from a valve/flange in a heat exchanger circuit. This points, as of now, to a technical or operational failure and not sabotage. The fire was localised to part of the CDU section. HPCL issued a statement saying all units at the refinery are structurally safe and there has been no impact on other parts.
No deaths or injuries were reported so far. However, reports mention significant financial damage and disruption.
With Media Inputs
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