Syria Puts Out Fire at Oil Refinery in Homs

Date: 09 May 2021 - 22:51

News ID: ۹۰۰۳۷

DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – Syrian firefighters extinguished a blaze on Sunday that engulfed areas of its main Homs refinery in the west of the country.
The fire started in a distillation unit because of a leak in a pumping station, media reported.
Television showed live footage of flames shooting out of parts of the refinery with black smoke plumes in the distance as firefighters battled the blaze.
SANA, the state news agency, citing a local firefighting official, reported the fire was later brought under control without causing casualties.
"The cooling process is now underway. There are no casualties,” chief of the Homs firefighting brigade, Hassan Amar, said.
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.
In late April, Syria’s oil ministry said a fire erupted in an oil tanker on its coast after what it said was a suspected drone attack.
There was a large fire and blast at Homs refinery in January involving a nearby crude oil loading station and dozens of trucks that transport petroleum products across the country.
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.
Homs refinery alongside Banias cover most domestic demand for diesel, heating fuel, gasoline and other products, industry experts say.