In the line of fire

The incident should come as a wake-up call to concerned authorities, since the spot is close to two residential complexes, and fire safety measures have been completely ignored

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A major tragedy was averted yesterday when a waste oil tank caught fire near the Cantonment railway station yesterday evening.


32,000 litres Capacity of the crude oil well that is merely a few feet away from the railway colony

Luckily nothing major happened; since the station is just 40 feet away from a crude oil refinery from the spot. The compound is also very close to Railway apartments, that house railway employees.u00a0

"I was coming back after a coffee and I saw flames coming out of the waster oil tank. The area is covered with dried leaves, and garbage. It was a miracle the fire did not reach the storage tank, or it would have been a major tragedy," said Narayan Swamy who stays at the railway quarters.

No safety at all
This reporter, who was at the spot saw that the area is a virtual landmine field. The oil well at the railway compound contains roughly 32,000 litres crude oil, which is used in locomotive engines.

This well around 3x5 feet above ground level, is 30 feet deep, and is not even covered. Add a number of oil drums that line the wall not too far from the well, and you have an inferno in the making. Needless to say, this area is not even barricaded, and no one has even bothered to take even the lowest of safety measures.
After an alarm was sounded, two fire tenders of a combined capacity of 4,000 liters were pressed to the spot. "We used two tankers that contained 2,500 liters of water and 1,500 liters of foam, used in an oil fire," said High Grounds fire station officer Nissar Ahmed.

"Thankfully was no any loss of life, but surprisingly, the railway authorities have not taken any precautions and in the area. We didn't see a single fire extinguisher. If the fire was not reported in time, it could have gotten out of hand. We are still trying to find out what caused it," he added.

Who cares?
Though this reporter did see sand stored near the fire spot, but that could not be used, because it has become a solid block due to humidity and rain. Ideally, the sand should be stored in buckets and only in dust form.
No railway officials responded to our calls even after repeated attempts.