A major fire erupted early Sunday at an oil refinery in South Khorasan, eastern Iran, causing several gas condensate reservoirs to explode, reported the semiofficial Tasnim news agency. The incident occurred in the Birjand Special Economic Zone at around 8:45 am local time (0515 GMT).
The blaze originated in one of the mini-refinery’s reservoirs and quickly spread to adjacent reservoirs, triggering simultaneous explosions. Emergency response teams, including firefighting and rescue units, rushed to the site. Despite efforts to control the inferno, it expanded rapidly, causing further explosions.
Birjand’s governor, Ali Fazelifard, informed Tasnim that five firefighting groups, supported by multiple fire engines, were actively working to cool down nearby reservoirs to halt the spread of the fire. He confirmed that the refinery, owned by Azaran Sanaat Barsava, a company specializing in producing light and heavy hydrocarbons from gas condensates, had been fully evacuated to avoid human casualties. The exact cause of the fire remains unknown.