A blaze that erupted at a privately-owned refinery in central Iran was doused without fatalities. It was the latest in a string of incidents in energy industry.
The fire at Piroozi Oil and Gas Refinery in Shahroud, 400 kilometers west of Tehran in Semnan Province, broke out at around 2:30 a.m. local time due to explosion of one of the refinery's fuel storage tanks. Firefighters put out the blaze after five hours, Shana reported.
The refinery was built last March at a cost of $57 million.
Alireza Mohammadi, head of Shahroud fire department, said nearly 100,000 liters of fuel was lost in the incident.
"There were no casualties, only one of refinery worker was slightly injured. The refinery has five storage tanks, but we stopped the fire from spreading to other tankers."
An official from the local emergency department said four people were injured.
According to reports, parts of the refinery's processing facilities were also damaged. Piroozi refinery processes crude oil and gas condensates, an ultra light crude, to produce gasoline and diesel.
Iran's key oil, gas and petrochemical sectors have grappled with similar incidents in recent months.
On July 6, a massive fire broke out in Bouali Sina Petrochemical Complex in the southern oil-rich province of Khuzestan in what was described as the largest incident in the oil and gas industry in recent times.
Firefighters extinguished the huge blaze after three days of arduous battle that left nine injured.
A few weeks later, fire erupted at the Bistoon Petrochemical Company in Kermanshah Province but had no fatalities. In September, fire broke out at Iran's Mobin Petrochemical Complex in the southern port city of Asalouyeh and wounded four people.
Officials have categorically rejected the idea of sabotage and coordinated attacks, blaming leaks and technical mishaps as well as poor health and safety inspections at the private refineries and petrochemical plants for the incidents.
