Fire breaks out at Kuwait oil refinery

Dubai: All necessary precautions were taken to contain a fire that erupted shortly before noon at the heavy crude oil unit at Al Shuaiba oil refinery, the Kuwait National Petroleum Company (KNPC) said.

KNPC Acting Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Al Jimaz said that the fire broke out at 11.30am and that all units at the refinery were shut and personnel were evacuated.

“All KNPC personnel and fire [fighting] units have been put on maximum alert,” he told the Kuwait News Agency, adding that “they are currently tackling the accident according to the emergency plan.”

Nobody was hurt in the incident, the official news agency said.