Massive blaze erupts at major liquefied gas facility in Iranian capital

A massive fire broke out on Wednesday at a liquefied gas facility in southern Tehran, where approximately 18,000 metric tons of liquefied gas were stored, according to state media.

Citing officials from Iran's National Petroleum Distribution Company, state media said the incident involved one of the liquefied gas storage tanks at a facility in the city of Shahr-e Rey.

Firefighters were actively working to contain the blaze by the time of filing this report, though officials insisted that the situation was under control.

The cause of the fire has not yet been disclosed. No casualties have been reported.

The fire was reported around 11:30 a.m. local time (08:00 GMT) at one of Tehran's largest liquefied gas facilities, located in an area that houses multiple gas and oil storage sites.

The state news agency IRNA quoted Tehran Fire Department spokesman Saeed Jalal Maleki as saying that the site of the blaze had been secured, preventing significant damage.

He added that as soon as the incident was reported, firefighters from two stations, accompanied by three foam trucks, water tankers, and additional support vehicles, were dispatched to the scene.

Maleki confirmed that the cause of the incident is currently under investigation.

This incident follows a series of industrial accidents in Iran.

In February last year, a major explosion struck a gas transmission pipeline connecting several cities in central Iran, which authorities at the time labeled it as a "sabotage" operation. The explosion, followed by a massive blaze, occurred in central Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province.

In November 2023, at least 32 people were killed in a devastating fire at a drug rehabilitation facility in northern Iran's Gilan province.