ALBAWABA - Local news outlets reported that a massive fire engulfed an oil refinery facility in Erbil in Kurdistan.
Security sources said that the fire broke out at the asphalt storage room in the oil refinery located on Erbil-Gwer road late on Wednesday. Emergency teams were immediately dispatched to the scene.
Videos circulated on social media of the catastrophe showing massive smoke plumes billowing over the facility, with at least 12 civil defense forces personnel reportedly injured.
A report by Rudaw Media Network said that it is expected to take a long time to control the fire as it will be difficult to extinguish until all the fuel in the facility is burned, according to preliminary information.
Safety measurements are frequently violated in the country, and buildings lack proper fire extinguishers and emergency services such as escape pathways.
In October, a fire broke out in an asphalt business near Arbat, Sulaimani province, killing one worker and injuring three more. On Sunday, a large fire killed over 300 animals in a community in southern Sulaimani.
On the same day, four foreign workers lost their lives in Baghdad when a warehouse built with unlawful, extremely combustible materials caught fire.
