Big Fire at Iran Petchem Plant Goes Out after 57 Hours
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An inferno raging at a petrochemical refinery complex in Iran’s southwestern port city of Mahshahr went out eventually in the wee hours of Saturday, after 57 hours of constant firefighting efforts failed to extinguish the huge blaze at a main tank filled with combustible fluid.
Known at the most serious incident in the history of Iran’s petrochemical industry, the fire at Bu Ali Sina petrochemical refinery complex went out at around 2 a.m. local time.
The fire broke out on Wednesday, when a huge reservoir tank full of Naphta was ablaze.
After several rounds of futile attempt to put at the fire at the blazing tank, officials decided to discharge its content and let the remaining material burn itself out.
Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, who was in Mahshahr to handle the operation directly, has ruled out the possibility of any acts of sabotage or arson attack, saying the fire was a result of a technical failure.
The minister also told reporters on Saturday morning that safety operations are still underway to cool down the nearby facilities to prevent a new fire.
