TURKEY – Explosion Sparks Major Fire at Turkey’s Biggest Oil Refinery
On 29 January, an explosion at Turkey’s largest oil refinery caused a major fire at the Tüpras-operated facility in Izmit, in northwestern Turkey. The blast occurred during the early hours of the morning and led to the evacuation of the entire site. Emergency responders, including firefighters, were sent to the scene and worked to bring the fire under control. No fatalities were reported.
The Izmit refinery, located about 62 miles (100km) east of Istanbul, is the largest refinery in the country and has an annual processing capacity of roughly 11 million tons.
According to local media reports, the explosion is believed to have started at a gasoline storage tank. However, local authorities have not yet released further details about the cause of the explosion or the level of damage sustained by the facility.
The refinery has experienced previous safety incidents. In November 2024, an explosion followed by a fire injured 12 people. Tüpras later stated that incident occurred during maintenance work on a compressor. The company reported that its internal fire response team reacted quickly to emergency alarms and managed to control the fire within a few hours.
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