Golaghat, May 3: Prompt action by fire tenders ensured minimum damage after a blaze engulfed the crude distillation and vacuum distillation units of Numaligarh Refinery last night, sources in the refinery said.

"The fire, which was very minor in nature, started around 11.30pm and was doused within five minutes thanks to swift action of the fire tenders of the refinery. No casualties were reported in the incident," a company spokesperson told The Telegraph.

The damage is being ascertained.

"Since the refinery is going through a shutdown as part of maintenance, no loss of life was reported. We are yet to ascertain the cause of the incident," the spokesperson added.

The refinery is situated at a distance of 25km from district headquarters, Golaghat, and around 250km from Guwahati.

The crude and vacuum distillation units comprise the mother unit of the refinery as the CDU (crude oil distillation unit) distils the incoming crude oil into various fractions, each of which are then processed in other units.

On March 18, five contract workmen were injured in a mishap at the newly commissioned wax hydro finishing plant of the refinery.

On May 31, 2013, a devastating fire broke out in the CDU and vacuum distillation units of the refinery because of a technical glitch, halting production temporarily.

Numaligarh Refinery with a capacity of 3 million metric tonnes per annum is the result of the Assam Accord. It was inaugurated on July 9, 1999 by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and commenced commercial production in October 2000.