According to webangah News Agency, local sources confirmed that Ecuador’s largest oil refinery, La Esmeralda, caught fire on Monday morning.Emergency responders quickly brought the blaze under control.
The fire broke out at 10:22 AM local time (15:22 GMT) in Ecuador’s northern coastal province of Esmeraldas, followed by a massive explosion in the area.
Ecuador’s Minister of Energy and Mines, Ines Manzano, stated on X (formerly Twitter): “A fuel storage tank caught fire but is now under control. Refinery personnel are working to fully extinguish it.”
The incident prompted the complete evacuation of refinery workers and students from four nearby schools.
state oil company Petroecuador confirmed the fire had been contained. Authorities are currently assessing facility damage and investigating potential causes.
Security forces, firefighters, and national police responded to the emergency. All personnel exited safely with no reported casualties.
The 110,000-barrel-per-day La Esmeralda refinery—Ecuador’s largest—had already sustained meaningful structural damage from a 6.1-magnitude earthquake on April 25 that reduced its production capacity.
The latest fire has halted operations again, potentially impacting Ecuador’s economy substantially since over 70% of its crude production is exported. The shutdown may disrupt domestic fuel supply and international shipments.
