10 Mar Turkish oil refinery fire

Turkish Petroleum Refineries Corporation (Tüpraş) experienced a fire at its İzmit oil refinery located in the northwestern province of Kocaeli.  At 11 million tons of crude oil per year and a 2.91 million cubic meter storage facility, the İzmit facility is the country’s largest. Sole Turkish refiner Tupras, owned by Turkey’s biggest conglomerate Koc Holding, has a total of four refineries across Turkey with over 28 million tonnes of crude processing capacity. 

The fire started due to a technical equipment failure, according to the company. Refinery workers and residents in nearby areas were evacuated from the scene immediately as a large number of firefighters were dispatched to the area. The blaze was soon  under control and production continued uninterrupted.

“Our operations are continuing with no interruption,” a spokeswoman for the company said. Television footage from Doğan News Agency showed large plumes of dark smoke curling up from the plant, located in the town of Izmit.