Oil Refinery Fire Near Iran’s Capital Burns into Second Day

TEHRAN, IRAN - A massive fire at an oil refinery near Iran’s capital burned into a second day Thursday as firefighters struggled to extinguish the flames.

The fire began at the state-owned Tondgooyan Petrochemical Co. to the south of Tehran on Wednesday night, sending a huge plume of black smoke into the sky over the capital. The Oil Ministry’s SHANA news agency said the fire broke out over a leak in two waste tanks at the facility. Authorities initially suggested the flames affected a liquified petroleum gas pipeline at the refinery. Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh visited the scene overnight. While seeking to assure the public the fire would not affect production, Iranians queued up for gasoline on Thursday morning, the start of the weekend in the Islamic Republic.