Lebanon: fire in the Zahrani refinery
A huge fire broke out in an oil installation in the town of Zahrani, in southern Lebanon.
AP - Hassan Ammar
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
This installation was supposed to receive fuel to avoid an
electrical
blockout
.
Because of
daily rationing of electric current, the Lebanese are only entitled to two hours of electricity per day.
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The fire broke out in one of the oil tanks at the Zahrani facilities in southern Lebanon.
The Lebanese army asked citizens to leave the area and blocked access to the area located about fifty kilometers south of Beirut.
The main road connecting Beirut to southern Lebanon has also been cut.
Around an hour ago a large fire broke out in one of the oil tanks in #Zahrani facilities.
Lebanese army is asking citizens to move from the area while the reasons of the fire are yet to be known.
pic.twitter.com/TetshBbO2o
- Firas Hatoum (@ferashatoum) October 11, 2021
"
I heard a big explosion before the fire started,
" a farmer working in the area told AFP.
The reasons for the fire are not yet known.
The Zahrani oil installation is adjacent to the power station of the same name.
It distributes approximately 15% of the country's fuel oil needs to the Lebanese market.
In recent days, the country was deprived of electricity due to fuel shortages at the main power plants in Deir Ammar and Zahrani.
The Lebanese are only allowed two hours of electricity a day.
The state is struggling to import fuel, against the backdrop of a historic plunge in the national currency and a drying up of foreign currencies.
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To read also: Lebanon: total "blackout" after the shutdown of two power plants for lack of fuel
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Lebanon
Energies
Oil
Economy