Three killed in oil well fire

Police said they were equipped with as many as 15 200-litre barrels, a 10-inch-long pipe-wrench, a barrel opener and other paraphernalia. They opened the necessary valves and filled five barrels with oil condensate. That, the police said, is when one of them probably struck a match to light a bidi; the gas that had escaped with the condensate ignited, charring three people to death. An area of roughly 400 to 500 square metres was burnt. The dead were Dawood Umarji Ise Patel, Balwant Vajabhai Vasava and Jagdish Rupjibhai Vasava, all of Khojbal village.

Bharuch district police officials said the manner in which the pilferage was being carried out indicated that this was not the first such incident at that well.

ONGC Ankleshwar Project8217;s Deputy General Manager Production M P Karan said the fallout would have been much worse had the well been functional. With no one around, the oil would have gushed out and spread all over up to maybe knee-high level; the fire could have been more widespread.

Chief Engineer Production B N Shah said the area the stretch around the well is Zone Zero, meaning hydrocarbons are constantly present. 8220;Even a flash from your camera could ignite a fire,8221; he said, while explaining the dangers.

The incident also brings into the focus the issue of security at the 450-odd oil and gas wells in the Ankleshwar and Gandhar fields. Police officials said there was a need to step up ONGC patrolling as the police could not reach each and every well as fast as the in-house security. Even in this incident, sources said, police had difficulty locating the well.Karan, however, said that though staff security patrolled the entire Gandhar and Ankleshwar regions, they could not be present in all places at all times. 8220;If the security men are patrolling one field, there might be miscreants at another well.8221; Karan also claimed insisted that the number of attempts at pilfering from oil and gas wells had reduced.

Asked whether they suspect role of lower level ONGC staff in the pilferage of oil since the Corporation8217;s security would comprise mostly villagers drawn from the same villages from where people are found involved in such thefts, Karan and Shah said, 8220;you can8217;t generalise this.8221; However, another official connected with the Ankleshwar project said this could not be ruled out.