GORAKHPUR, Nov. 22 -- A massive fire that broke out at a bran oil factory here in the wee hours of Friday was raging even after several hours of intense firefighting, district officials said.

While about 50 workers were said to be inside the Rungta Industries' bran-oil processing plant in Sector 13 of Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority (GIDA) when the fire broke out around 4 am, all were said to have been evacuated safely, and no major injuries were reported.

Even after 16 hours of efforts, the blaze could not be brought under control, and risks of an explosion in a hexane tank of 50,000-litre capacity had increased by the evening, the officials said, adding that people living in the nearby areas were evacuated.

More than 200 f...