Fires, power interruptions and outages are common at facilities operated by state-run oil company PDVSA, and can affect supply of essential fuels for the domestic market, like gasoline and diesel, Reuters reported.
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The fire started at a gas line that connects the refinery’s diesel hydrotreater, forcing the entire facility’s shutdown, including boilers, two of the sources said.
PDVSA did not respond to a request for comment. The blaze was extinguished less than an hour later, following some explosions and the evacuation of personnel, according to the sources and neighbors. No injured workers have been reported.
Cardon is part of PDVSA’s 955,000-bpd Paraguana Refining Center, the country’s largest complex.
Videos posted on social media showed huge columns of flames and smoke billowing from the refinery. Later, photos shared by neighbors showed firefighters in the facility and the flames extinguished. Reuters could not immediately verify the content of the videos, but other sources reported seeing flames and smoke at the refinery.
Output at one of Cardon’s crude distillation units and its fluid catalytic cracker was halted last month due to insufficient feedstock.
