Fire reported at Venezuela’s Cardon refinery; blaze brought under control

A large fire broke out Tuesday afternoon at the Cardon refinery in Venezuela’s Falcon state, alarming residents in communities near the facility before authorities brought the blaze under control, according to local media.

The fire was reported around 3.25 pm (1925GMT) in the lubricants area of the refinery, which is part of the Paraguana Refining Complex (CRP).

Residents living near the refinery reported seeing intense flames in the area of the facility’s flare stack.

Industrial firefighters from Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA and officials from Venezuela’s National Risk Management System were deployed and activated emergency safety protocols, said local media.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Authorities have not yet disclosed what caused the fire.