Fire at OMV Petrom’s refinery in Romania leaves several injured

A fire broke out on Monday at OMV Petrom’s Petrobrazi refinery, leaving two people severely injured. Petrobrazi is one of the largest Romanian refineries and one of the largest in Eastern Europe.

The refinery’s own emergency response team was mobilized following the fire that broke out on Monday afternoon, May 1. The staff contacted emergency services as well.

"A fire occurred at the refinery around 3 PM on Monday. The fire has been extinguished. Following the incident, three people required medical care, two of whom were transported to the hospital. The company's emergency response team was mobilized, coordinated the assistance operations, and is in contact with all relevant authorities. We note that the refinery is in the first week of a six-week overhaul process," an official press release said, cited by G4Media.

According to the Prahova County Ambulance Service, three victims were identified at the scene of the fire. A 59-year-old man, who has third and fourth-degree burns from the flames on approximately 72% of his body surface and burn injuries to his upper airways, was taken by SMURD helicopter to Floreasca Hospital.

Another 55-year-old man has second and third-degree burns on approximately 15% of his body and was taken to the Ploiești County Emergency Hospital. Additionally, a 60-year-old man has an injury to one leg but refused to be examined and transported to the hospital.

"This afternoon, an event occurred within a business operator located in Brazi commune, which initially did not require the intervention of professional emergency services. The event was managed by specialized personnel within the business operator. Later, we were requested to provide emergency medical assistance to persons involved in the event," the Prahova Emergency Situations Inspectorate said.

A thick smoke originating in the Petrobrazi refinery could be observed for several minutes from many kilometers away.

The refinery is undergoing a general revision for six weeks, and its activity has been stopped.

With an annual refining capacity of 4.5 million tons of crude oil, Petrobrazi is one of the most important refineries in Romania. Almost completely destroyed during World War II, the refinery was rebuilt over the years. Petrobrazi has benefited from investments of over EUR 2 bln for modernization projects since 2005, according to OMV Petrom.