Major fire spreads at Iraq’s biggest oil refinery

BAIJI, Iraq (Reuters) – An explosion at a fuel storage tank caused a huge blaze at Iraq’s largest refinery on Monday, injuring at least 36 workers, and the fire was spreading, witnesses said.

A Reuters cameraman at the Baiji refinery complex, some 180 km (110 miles) north of Baghdad, said he had seen at least one dead body and had counted at least 36 others suffering from burns.


“This is the biggest fire I have ever seen at Baiji refinery. We have not had a fire like this before,” said an engineer, employed at the plant since 2003, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

He said the explosion had started in a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) unit.

Reuters