A massive fire broke out at an oil refinery on the Erbil-Gwer road Wednesday evening, persisting for more than eighteen hours into Thursday. 

The blaze, which started around eight pm, caused significant concern as flames soared hundreds of feet into the air and resulted in injuries.


Flames rise after a massive fire broke out at the asphalt storage facility of an oil refinery in Arbil, the capital of Iraq's northern autonomous Kurdish region, early on June 13, 2024. (Photo by Safin HAMID / AFP)

"Firefighting teams struggled to contain the inferno," stated Erbil Civil Defense. Despite efforts, full control over the fire had not been achieved by Thursday morning.

Pictures show heavy smoke coming out of the #oil refinery at the #Erbil-Gwer road #fire which has been ongoing for over 12 hours#TheNewRegion pic.twitter.com/MWhgecOucq

— The New Region (@thenewregion) June 13, 2024

Reports indicated that part of the surrounding facilities near the burning refinery began transferring their crude oil as a precautionary measure.

According to Erbil Civil Defense, "the fire engulfed eight tanks and nine vehicles," resulting in eight injuries. "We took measures to prevent potential tank explosions," they added.

Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw confirmed in a press conference that the fire had caused over $8 million in damages.

Governor Khoshnaw also mentioned that "fourteen Civil Defense personnel were injured during the operation, with four vehicles destroyed."

The fire at the oil and gas facility in Gwer has been brought under control after more than 18 hours, resulting in an estimated $9 million in damages, according to Erbil Civil Defense.

The blaze, which began at 8:35 pm last night, injured 14 people, destroyed eight storage tanks, nine vehicles, and approximately 21 million liters of fuel. 

Erbil Civil Defense spokesperson Shakhawan Saeed confirmed that the facility lacked civil defense measures but stated, "The fire is now fully controlled with no remaining danger to the surrounding areas." 

Erbil-Gwer road refinery #fire fully controlled, #Erbil Civil Defense announced in a press conference on Thursday#TheNewRegion pic.twitter.com/k99tqXmIFj

— The New Region (@thenewregion) June 13, 2024

Additionally, 14 civil defense personnel sustained injuries, and four civil defense vehicles were destroyed.