Huge fire destroys oil refinery in northern Iraq
A massive fire broke out at the asphalt storage facility of an Erbil oil refinery. Photo: Bilind T. Abdullah/Rudaw
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – A huge fire broke out on Wednesday night at an oil refinery’s asphalt storage facility in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Nearly 40 firefighting teams were trying to contain the fire, the cause of which is still unknown.
Many other refining facilities are located near the burned facility.
Reports of injured and missing firefighters, along with burned-out fire engines, have been heard in Erbil while a refinery blaze rages, Sky News said.
Local media outlets mentioned that ten people were injured in the massive fire that broke out in the early hours of Thursday.
Fire incidents are widespread in Iraq. Last October, a fire erupted at an asphalt factory located near Arbat town in the eastern region of Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq, resulting in the tragic death of one worker and the severe injury of three others.
The incident occurred when a tanker transporting bitumen ignited while attempting to unload its cargo within one of the storage units situated within the industrial complex of the Zillion Oil Company.
The fire continued to rage for an extended period, lasting more than nine hours, primarily due to the substantial quantities of flammable materials stored within the units.