Syrian firefighters are working to extinguish a blaze that broke out at a distillation unit of the main oil refinery in the western city of Homs, with no reports of casualties in the incident.
The Directorate of Homs refinery, in a statement published by official news agency SANA, announced that the fire erupted on Sunday morning due to a leak in a pumping station.
Syrian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Bassam Tomeh said the fire broke out at distillation unit 100 of the refinery, emphasizing that it was largely brought under control.
#Syria : Fire at main oil refinery in Homs - reports indicate it might be due to leak at pumping station #مصفاة_حمص pic.twitter.com/VYNHvNk2hJ
— sebastian usher (@sebusher) May 9, 2021
Brigadier General Hassan Ammar, the commander of the Homs fire brigade, said the fire was under control, and cooling operations were in process.
He added that there are no human casualties in the incident.
State television showed live footage of fire engulfing parts of the refinery with black smoke plumes in the distance as firefighters tackled the flames.
Back on January 19, Syrian civil defense teams extinguished a huge fire that swept a number of oil tankers loading crude oil from an installation near Homs refinery.
#عاجل || مدير #مصفاة_حمص: لا أضرار بشرية في الحريق وفرق الإطفاء تعمل على إخماده.
— سانا عاجل (@SanaAjel) May 9, 2021
SANA reported at the time that an explosion had earlier hit a state crude oil transportation company in the city and oil tankers loading crude oil from the installation then caught fire.
Homs refinery and two gas units came under a rocket attack on December 21, 2019. Syrian oil officials called it a “terrorist attack” which caused minor damage but disrupted production.
Homs refinery alongside Banias cover most domestic demand of diesel, heating fuel, gasoline and other products, industry experts say.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
