Tank Explosion and Continued Fire at Tehran Refinery
Firefighters continue their battle after hours of firefighting operations at Tehran Refinery. On Thursday morning, the fire at the refinery, which appeared to be subsiding, flared up again following the ignition of one of the tanks.
The massive fire that broke out at Tehran Refinery on Wednesday, June 2, continues to rage.
According to ISNA news agency, the fire at the refinery reignited on Thursday morning, and thick smoke can be seen from across Tehran.
It is reported that an explosion in one of the tanks containing petroleum waste at the refinery and the spillage of this waste caused the fire to spread.
According to refinery officials, since the end sections of the petroleum product tank contain heavier products, its smoke is denser.
ISNA reported, citing the CEO of Tehran Oil Refining Company, that the incident on Wednesday night involved a 20,000-barrel tank of petroleum waste, and “for complete fire extinguishment, the remaining materials in the tank must burn completely”.
Before the fire reignited, Tehran Refinery officials had spoken of controlling the fire and said there was no danger of fuel shortage.
ISNA reported, citing Shaker Khafaei, spokesman for Tehran Oil Refinery, that rumors about gasoline shortages in Tehran are baseless. According to him, the fire incident “involved a diesel tank, and there is sufficient gasoline in Tehran Refinery tanks”.
The Islamic Republic’s state news agency IRNA also reported on Thursday, June 13, citing Khafaei’s statements, that “access roads to the refinery have been closed for security reasons and the refinery’s production line has been temporarily shut down until after complete fire extinguishment before it resumes operation”.
Speculation about the cause of the incident continues. Mansour Darjati, head of crisis management at Tehran Province’s governor’s office, said on the previous day (Wednesday, June 2) that “the cause of the incident was pipe leakage”.
According to IRNA, relevant authorities “ruled out the possibility of sabotage in this incident and also emphasized that this incident was not intentional or security-related, and the main cause is under investigation, which will be announced to the public as soon as expert opinions are available”.
Tehran Oil Refining Company, with a refining capacity of 250,000 barrels per day, produces approximately 17 to 20 percent of Iran’s energy. The refinery was commissioned in 1968 and currently comprises two southern and northern refineries.
Source: DW
