New Delhi/Duliajan: Oil India Limited (OIL), a Maharatna public sector undertaking, has reported a fire incident at an Indirect Bath Heater (IDBH) at its Intermediate Tank Farm (ITF) in Tengakhat, near Duliajan in Assam's Dibrugarh district, resulting in the death of one person and burn injuries to six others.
According to the company's press statement on Friday, the incident occurred at approximately 9:05 AM during maintenance activities at the facility. The affected Indirect Bath Heater area had been taken up for maintenance and was under isolation since November 4, 2026.
The seven persons affected in the incident were employees of an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) contractor engaged at the site. While six injured workers were rescued and shifted for medical attention, one person succumbed to injuries at the incident site.
Of the six injured persons, five were shifted to Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), Dibrugarh, while another injured person was admitted to OIL Hospital, Duliajan. The company stated that medical treatment was being provided to all the injured persons.
Oil India said firefighting operations were initiated immediately through the fixed firefighting system installed at the facility. The company's Fire Service Department promptly mobilised fire tenders, including a Dry Chemical Powder (DCP) tender, to contain the blaze.
A total of 11 fire tenders were deployed at the site to carry out firefighting operations. According to the company, the fire was completely extinguished at approximately 12:30 PM, nearly three hours after the incident was reported.
The company confirmed that the situation was under control following the firefighting operation.
Following the incident, Oil India has constituted an internal inquiry committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fire.
The committee has been assigned the responsibility of identifying both the immediate and underlying causes of the incident, assessing the damage caused to the facility and recommending proactive measures to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents.
The investigation is particularly important as the fire occurred in an equipment area that had reportedly been isolated for maintenance since November 4. However, the company has not yet disclosed what triggered the fire or whether any specific equipment failure or other operational factor was involved.
Oil India has not announced the extent of damage to the installation or indicated whether the incident would affect its operations.
The company expressed its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased worker and conveyed its concern over the incident.
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