Jaipur, Oct 29 (IANS) At least 60 people were injured when a major fire broke out at an Indian Oil depot in Sitapura industrial area near here Thursday evening. Many of the injuries were reported from nearby areas and caused due to the shattering of glass panes, officials said.
Though the cause of the fire was not known, according to eyewitnesses the fire broke out after gas leakage from one of the tanks.

“The incident occurred at around 7.15 p.m. and we immediately pressed ambulances and fire tenders into service,” a district administration official told IANS.

“As a precautionary measure we have vacated the nearby villages,” he said.

The injured have been admitted to the government-run SMS Hospital and the nearby Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, he said.

The fire was of great intensity and the flames could be seen from a distance of over 15 km. People living in nearby areas heard loud explosions when the fire broke out.

“I work in a factory very near to the area. As soon as the fire broke out, we rushed out of our factory. We also heard a couple of loud explosions,” Ramkumar, a worker in a small factory, said.

Amit Agarwal, a student of a private engineering college around 2 km away from the site, said the glass panes of his building were shattered due to the explosions.

Meanwhile, the administration is holding talks with the army to seek help in controlling the blaze as there is danger of it spreading to other areas.

Petroleum Minister Murli Deora is slated to visit the spot early Saturday morning. He is in touch with the Rajasthan chief minister, a ministry official said.

A team of Indian Oil Corp officials has already reached the site.