One dead and 17 injured in oil pipeline fire in Bengal

Dark smoke and flames billow after a massive fire suddenly broke out in a pipeline carrying diesel at the Haldia refinery in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal on June 30, 2026. Photo credit: PTI

A fire broke out at a diesel pipeline of Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd. in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district early Tuesday morning, killing one and injuring 17.

Efforts to extinguish the fire continued until late in the evening. The fire broke out on Tuesday (June 30 around 4 am) and within moments it spread to Chiranjeevpur in Ward No. 13 of Haldia Municipality. Local residents came out of their homes in panic.

Locals say there was an explosion with a loud noise in the pipeline of Haldia Petrochemicals during the early hours of the morning. After that, the fire spread quickly. Several houses in the vicinity caught fire. Since the fire also affected the areas around the railway lines, rail transport was temporarily affected.

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A statement issued by Haldia Petrochemicals said it is providing all necessary support to the concerned authorities.

“Preliminary information indicates that the incident may have occurred near an unauthorized diesel theft site near the power plant. Diesel is a highly flammable and extremely flammable hydrocarbon and the company has consistently warned local communities against any unauthorized access to or manipulation of petroleum products due to serious security risks,” the statement said.

Haldia Petrochemicals said the exact cause of the incident is currently under investigation in coordination with the relevant authorities.

Published – 30 Jun 2026 11:06 IST