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The Jerusalem Post

Iranian oil refinery reservoirs catch fire in Birjand, factory evacuated

 
A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Persian Gulf, Iran, July 25, 2005 (photo credit: RAHEB HOMAVANDI/REUTERS)
A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Persian Gulf, Iran, July 25, 2005
(photo credit: RAHEB HOMAVANDI/REUTERS)

Iranian officials received an order to evacuate a nearby factory as firefighting forces continued to battle the flames.

Oil refinery reservoirs in the eastern Iranian city of Birjand caught fire early on Sunday morning, causing thick smoke that could be seen from several kilometers away, Islamic Republic state media reported.

IRNA said firefighters have been dispatched to extinguish the fire at the mini-refinery. 

Iranian officials received an order to evacuate a nearby factory as firefighting forces continued to battle the flames. IRNA cited Mohammad Ali Akhundi, the director-general of Iran's South Khorasan Province's crisis management department, as saying that "operational vehicles" were forced to work to extinguish the flames "from around the danger zone because it was a matter of life.

Akhundi confirmed that there are no residential buildings in the vicinity of the factory.

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Fire at a petrochemical plant in the Shokuhieh Industrial Town in the Qom Province of Iran (credit: TASNIM NEWS AGENCY)
Fire at a petrochemical plant in the Shokuhieh Industrial Town in the Qom Province of Iran (credit: TASNIM NEWS AGENCY)

IRGC on the scene, firefighting forces 'in danger'

According to the director-general, Iranian firefighting forces are considering letting the fire engulf the reservoirs due to the severe dangers involved, to "save the lives of rescuers and people who are present in the region."

Rescue services from Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) were present on the scene, he further confirmed.

This is a developing story.

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