Fire breaks out at mini-refinery in western Iran, Tasnim says

July 10 - A fire broke out on Friday at the Oxin Palayesh mini-refinery in Iran's western Lorestan province, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

The fire began shortly after 5 p.m. local time and sent a column of thick smoke over part of Poldokhtar, Tasnim said.

Firefighters, rescue teams and heavy and light equipment were sent to the site, but the scale of the blaze and the presence of flammable materials made containment difficult and prevented crews from approaching the main seat of the fire in the initial hours, Tasnim added.

The semi-official Mehr news agency earlier cited Lorestan deputy governor as saying no deaths or injuries had been reported and that the cause of the fire was under investigation.

Preliminary reports indicated the fire had likely started in the raw materials section of the industrial unit and that possible negligence was being considered, though the cause could not be determined conclusively until the fire was extinguished, the deputy governor added. REUTERS