Oil reservoirs on fire in Komi Republic, Russia

Several oil reservoirs in the Usinsk district of Russia’s Komi Republic caught fire on Sunday, 29 October.

Source: TASS, a Russian news outlet

Details: Lukoil-Komi, a branch of the Russian oil company Lukoil, reported that a reservoir near the village of Verkhnekolvinsk in the Komi Republic caught fire, allegedly as a result of a safety rules violation by a contractor.

Early reports indicate that one Lukoil employee was killed and two sustained injuries.

Katerina Kiselevich, the Komi Republic Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Protection, said the reservoir was empty and was being cleaned. It is likely that residual gases exploded, she explained.

She later said that the fire spread to a nearby reservoir that is full of oil.

Quote from Kiselevich: "The situation has grown more challenging… The first reservoir fell apart and is still being extinguished, and the second reservoir is 5-7 metres up full of oil. There is no threat to the underground oil pipeline. There are several water reservoirs in the vicinity."

Details: Press service for the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that a total of 360 square metres were on fire at the Komi Republic oil refinery.

Over 80 emergency response workers and 25 appliances were deployed to the site of the fire. A compressed air foam system is also being used to extinguish the fire.

Previously: On the morning of 29 October, Baza, a Russian Telegram channel, reported that a drone attacked the Afip oil refinery in Russia’s Krasnodar Krai, causing a fire.

A source told Ukrainska Pravda that the Afip oil refinery was attacked by two Security Service of Ukraine drones.

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