Fire at top Ecuador refinery under control: Petroecuador

Quito: A fire at Petroecuador's Esmeraldas oil refinery, the country's largest, temporarily halted operations after a fire broke out in the charge ‌pumps ⁠of one ⁠of its units, the state oil company said on Sunday, adding the blaze had been brought under control.

The fire started in the charge pumps ⁠of ‌the SEVIA unit, which processes vacuum residue to reduce ⁠its viscosity and produce fuel oil, the company said in a statement.

The plant has a processing capacity of 110,000 barrels of oil per day.


"The flames seen in ‌videos circulating on social media correspond to the ​combustion of ​spilled ⁠material and do not pose a risk of spreading," Petroecuador said.

It did ​not specify the cause of the fire, the second incident at the refinery this year.