A fire broke out at a refinery of Bharat Petroleum here this afternoon, injuring as many as 43 people, officials said.
The plant at Mahul road in Chembur area of east Mumbai caught fire around 3 pm, they said.
Nine fire tenders, two foam tenders and two jumbo tankers were pressed into service to douse the blaze, said a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official.
The refinery’s own fire-fighting team was also engaged in dousing the flames which were now under control, he said.
As many as 21 people were injured in the incident, he said, adding they were taken to nearby civil hospitals.
The blaze erupted in the compressor shed of the hydrocracker plant, as per the company statement.
Fire Brigade chief P S Rahangdale said the fire fighting operation was made difficult by heat and pressure inside the plant.
According to Santosh Aadhar, a local resident, a “massive” explosion was heard near the refinery premises.
“Its tremors shook windows of our building which is 500 metre away from the refinery,” Aadhar told reporters.
