A major fire broke out at the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) Rajasthan Refinery in Pachpadra, Balotra district on the afternoon of April 20, 2026, following an explosion in an exchanger inside the Crude and Vacuum Distillation Unit section of the integrated refinery and petrochemical complex. The blaze was brought under control by HPCL fire-response teams and district fire services and there were no reported casualties, with the company stating that damage was confined to a limited area of the unit. Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma directed the Chief Secretary, the District Collector and senior police officers to rush to the site, and travelled to Pachpadra to personally inspect the facility, hold a high-level review meeting and engage with fire brigade personnel and emergency response teams. The Chief Minister called the incident unfortunate and ordered a detailed investigation, with the State Government setting up a high-level probe alongside a separate technical inquiry by the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas. The Union Petroleum Ministry confirmed that the dedication ceremony of the 9-million-tonne-per-annum refinery-cum-petrochemical complex, which was scheduled for April 21 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been deferred. Multiple agencies including the National Investigation Agency and Ministry of Home Affairs teams are also examining whether the fire was an accident, the result of a hydrocarbon leak through a flange or valve in the heat-exchanger circuit, or a deliberate act, with the cyber team studying the refinery Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system command logs and network traffic for any external intrusion.