Second Iranian Refinery Burns In Less Than A Week

Less than a week after a devastating fire engulfed the Birjand oil refinery in northeast Iran, another refinery in Esfahan faced a similar fate as it succumbed to flames on Saturday.

Mansour Shisheforoush, the director of provincial crisis management in Esfahan, disclosed in an interview with semi-official ISNA news agency that four individuals sustained injuries during the incident, with one person hospitalized due to severe burns.

The incident follows an incident on December 10 when all 18 hydrocarbon tanks at the Birjand oil refinery in South Khorasan were consumed by flames. The explosion and fire at the Birjand refinery occurred less than a year after an expansion project was inaugurated.

Deputy Governor of South Khorasan reported substantial damages amounting to an estimated 14 million USD incurred by the Birjand refinery in the aftermath of the incident.

Iran has witnessed a series of industrial accidents, including fires in oil facilities, petrochemical plants, and industrial centers in recent years. The incidents are often attributed to outdated technology, the use of substandard equipment, and the aging and deterioration of structures. While authorities have not provided comprehensive explanations for the incidents, they have attributed several high-profile sabotage attacks on facilities to Israel. However, Israel has not officially claimed responsibility for any of the incidents.

Iranian authorities have acknowledged the ongoing concern of both industrial and non-industrial "sabotage." Fereydoun Abbasi, a member of the Energy Commission of the Parliament, highlighted on Saturday, "Over time, a person may, due to dissatisfaction, family problems, or the influence of others, become a saboteur. A saboteur doesn't necessarily plant a bomb; sometimes, they engage in industrial sabotage, meaning they learn to tamper with electricity, water, or manipulate gas pressure."