TEHRAN, Iran (BN24) — A fire at Iran’s oldest and largest oil refinery in the southwest city of Abadan killed one worker and left others injured, Iranian state media reported Sunday, marking the latest in a series of recent blazes across the country.
According to the state-owned IRAN newspaper, the fire erupted Saturday in an under-repair unit of the Abadan oil refinery after a pump began leaking. Firefighters brought the flames under control within two hours, and refinery operations reportedly continued without disruption.
Iran’s deputy parliament speaker, Ali Nikzad, confirmed on Sunday that some workers sustained injuries during the incident. Officials did not immediately release further details about the injured.
The Abadan refinery, located approximately 670 kilometers (416 miles) southwest of Tehran, has played a central role in Iran’s energy infrastructure since it began operations in 1912. It remains the country’s largest refinery, processing more than 5.2 million barrels of oil daily and producing about a quarter of Iran’s fuel supply.
The cause of the fire was linked to a technical failure during maintenance, authorities said. The blaze comes amid a string of recent fires in Iran, including several reported in residential and commercial buildings. Officials have blamed those incidents on gas leaks and electrical faults.
Iran, a major oil-producing nation, has seen its petroleum industry constrained by years of Western sanctions, which have limited its ability to export oil and modernize aging infrastructure. Despite these challenges, refineries like Abadan continue to operate at high capacity.
Saturday’s incident underscores the risks associated with ongoing operations at aging industrial facilities and the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in the country’s energy sector.
