A pre-dawn fire on a naphtha pipeline at the Haldia Petrochemicals complex in West Bengal, India, injured at least 15 people on Tuesday, with several in critical condition, according to local authorities. The blaze was one of several industrial and transport-related fires reported across three continents within hours, including a multi-truck explosion in Australia and a suspicious shop fire in Melbourne.

The fire broke out between 2:45 a.m. and 5 a.m. local time, with flames spreading rapidly to nearby residential areas in Chiranjibpur, damaging houses and disrupting railway services. Indian media reported that between 10 and 35 people were injured, with some sources saying up to 20 were hurt; police and hospital officials confirmed that at least two victims were in critical condition and had been transferred to a higher-level medical facility. Haldia Petrochemicals said in a statement that the incident may have occurred near a point used for unauthorized theft of naphtha, a highly flammable hydrocarbon, and that the company had repeatedly warned local communities of the dangers.

In New South Wales, Australia, a collision involving six semi-trailers on the Hume Highway near Breadalbane triggered multiple explosions and a fire that destroyed all vehicles. One truck was carrying eight tonnes of butane canisters, while others held alcohol, resin, and memory foam. New South Wales police described it as “nothing short of a miracle” that all six drivers escaped with only minor injuries, and two were taken to hospital for mandatory testing. The highway remained closed as investigators examined the debris.

In Melbourne’s south-east, a fire that gutted a shop in Mentone is being treated as suspicious after a vehicle was rammed into the premises before the blaze, Victoria Police said. No injuries were reported. Separately, in Caledon, Ontario, a transport truck collided with several vehicles on Highway 10, leaving one person airlifted with critical injuries and two others with serious, life-threatening injuries, according to Ontario Provincial Police.

Investigations into all incidents are ongoing, and authorities have not yet determined the causes of the fires in India or the collisions in Australia and Canada.