The Cardon refinery in Venezuela, the country's second-largest, has stopped operations after a fire in one of its units, Reuters reported, citing three sources. A gas pipeline running through the gas oil production section of the refinery caught fire.
Two of the sources said the entire refinery was shut down after the incident. A third source also confirmed the shutdown.
“The fire is now under control“, one of the sources said.Two other sources said employees had been evacuated. Videos posted on social media show large columns of flames and smoke rising from the facility. The authenticity of the footage has not been confirmed, but Reuters sources have also reported flames and smoke at the refinery.
The state oil company did not respond to a request for information about the condition of the facility. “Kardon“ has a capacity to process 310,000 barrels of oil per day.
Sources: bta.bg