Authorities in Ecuador have announced that a fire broke out in a storage tank at the Esmeraldas oil refinery, located in the northwest of the country. The incident led to the shutdown of operations at the facility—Ecuador’s largest oil refinery—and the evacuation of nearby residents.
According to official sources, a large column of fire and smoke rose into the city’s sky before firefighting teams managed to bring the blaze under control. State-owned oil company Petroecuador, which operates the refinery, confirmed that no fatalities were reported, but five people received medical treatment after inhaling smoke.
In a statement, the company said operations were halted as a precaution to ensure the safety of both personnel and infrastructure. The refinery has a processing capacity of 110,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it the largest of the three refineries in the South American nation.
