Massive Fire at Iraq Oil Refinery Injures 14 and Causes $8 Million in Damages

A significant fire at an oil refinery in Iraqi Kurdistan has been contained after raging for about 20 hours, leaving at least 14 firefighters injured. The blaze, which broke out on Wednesday night, originated in a major crude oil tank and subsequently spread to a second refinery located southwest of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region.

Thick black smoke and intense orange flames were observed rising from the facility, as reported by an AFP photographer on the scene. The Kurdistan civil defence agency confirmed that the fire began in one refinery and spread to another, although the exact cause remains undetermined.

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During a news conference on Thursday evening, civil defence agency spokesman Shakhwan Saeed announced that the fire was “100 percent contained” and posed no further threat to the surrounding refineries. The firefighting effort mobilized 150 rescuers, of whom 14 were injured, including two in critical condition. Arbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw reported that three rescuers were hospitalized for burns, and another ten suffered from breathing difficulties.

The primary storage tank affected by the fire contained over 5,000 tonnes of fuel, with the total damage estimated at $8 million. The Arbil civil defence noted that four fuel tanks and three fire trucks were destroyed in the incident. Khoshnaw mentioned the possibility of an electrical short circuit being the cause, while Saeed highlighted that the facility failed to meet the civil defence agency’s safety standards.

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Iraq, one of the world’s leading oil producers, relies heavily on crude oil sales, which constitute 90 percent of its budget revenues. Despite this, exports from the Kurdistan region have been suspended for over a year due to legal and technical disputes. The country has recently experienced multiple fires, exacerbated by its scorching summer temperatures, affecting various infrastructures such as shopping centers, warehouses, and hospitals.

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