Fire breaks out at Pachpadra refinery day before scheduled inauguration by PM Modi

BALOTRA: A massive fire erupted at the HPCL Rajasthan Refinery Limited (HRRL) in Pachpadra on Monday afternoon, just twenty-four hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to dedicate the landmark project to the nation.

The blaze, which began around 2:00 PM on April 20, 2026, reportedly originated in the vicinity of the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU). Thick plumes of black smoke could be seen from several kilometres away, triggering panic among local residents and the thousands of workers on-site for final preparations.

The refinery's internal fire safety systems were immediately activated, and over 30 fire tenders from Balotra and surrounding districts were rushed to the scene. Emergency response teams worked for several hours to contain the flames.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), the fire has been brought under control.

No injuries or fatalities have been reported, and the entire processing area was successfully evacuated as a precautionary measure.

Prime Minister Modi was set to inaugurate the ₹79,459 crore facility—India’s first integrated refinery-cum-petrochemical complex—on Tuesday, April 21. Following the incident, the Ministry confirmed the event's cancellation via social media:

"Due to an unfortunate fire incident today... the scheduled dedication of the refinery by the Hon'ble Prime Minister on 21.04.2026 has been postponed. A revised date will be announced in due course."

Due to an unfortunate fire incident today in the vicinity of the Crude Distillation Unit at the HRRL refinery, the scheduled dedication of the refinery by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 21.04.2026 has been postponed.

The fire has been brought under control. There are no reports…

— Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas #MoPNG (@PetroleumMin) April 20, 2026

The incident has sparked immediate political concern. Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressed his distress, calling the project a "matter of pride for all Rajasthanis" and describing the timing of the accident as "extremely unfortunate."

State officials, including Chief Secretary V. Srinivas, reached the site to oversee the situation. A high-level investigation has been ordered to determine the cause of the fire and to assess the extent of the damage to the CDU, which serves as the "heart" of the refinery's processing operations.

The HRRL project is a joint venture between Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (74%) and the Government of Rajasthan (26%). Designed with a capacity of 9 MMTPA, the refinery was in its final commissioning stages. Today's setback comes after years of development and a significant budget increase from its original estimate of ₹43,129 crore to nearly ₹80,000 crore.