Major fire breaks out at oil recycling firm in Kerala’s Edayar; 1 killed

A major fire broke out at a used oil recycling company in the Edayar industrial area in Ernakulam district of Kerala on Thursday (March 26, 2026) morning, claiming the life of one employee.

The incident occurred at Cee Gee Lubricants shortly after 9 a.m. The victim has been identified as Shatrughan Mukhya, a native of Bihar.

It took close to two hours for the Fire and Rescue Services teams to extinguish the blaze.

Considering the magnitude of the blaze, fire tenders from Aluva, Thrikkakkara, Mattanchery, Gandhi Nagar and Vypeen stations were also brought in, said an official of the Fire and Rescue Station, Edayar.

“Since it was an oil-based fire, the presence of lubricants intensified the blaze. One person was initially reported missing, and his body could be recovered only after the fire was extinguished,” an official said.

The fire is believed to have originated from a thermic fluid heater. However, the exact reason for the fire is unclear yet, said the official.

It is learnt that the deceased had gone inside the facility to switch off a boiler. “It was an attempt to prevent a major fire and he went in despite all the workers asking him not to,” said Arun George, one of the partners at a nearby firm.

Close to 32 workers were inside the building and they managed to move back to safety. Another person is reported to have been injured and has been taken to a hospital.