A major fire broke out at an asphalt storage area within a oil refinery complex in Erbil province, located in northern Iraq. Local television coverage identified the incident as coming from Rudaw, a regional broadcaster.
According to late-evening reports on June 12, the blaze began in the asphalt storage portion of the refinery and rapidly drew attention from the surrounding area. Eyewitnesses described the smoke plume and flames as substantial, and several observed damage to nearby facilities within the refinery grounds.
Witness accounts indicated that at least one person sustained injuries, though officials had not released any confirmed casualty figures or detailed assessments of losses at the time of the initial reports. The scale of damage remained uncertain as firefighting crews worked to contain the blaze and assess the situation for potential collateral hazards such as fumes or spreading embers.
Firefighting teams faced difficulties in bringing the fire under control, with roughly a dozen firefighters actively engaged in attempting to suppress the flames. The exact cause of the ignition was not established in the immediate aftermath, and investigators were expected to review security footage and plant logs to determine how the incident began and whether safety protocols were breached.
Separately, in Rostov region, officials reported by nightfall that a fire at the Novoshakhtinsky oil refinery had been localized to a roughly 100-square-meter area. The information was conveyed by regional authorities and reflected the ongoing concern about energy infrastructure in the area.
During the same period, Rostov regional authorities provided an update that the fire at the Novoshakhtinsky refinery was the result of an incident following a UAV attack, with additional reports indicating continued risk to other refinery structures. In the first phase of the response, approximately 120 personnel and 15 units of equipment were mobilized to work on extinguishing efforts and to secure the perimeter around the affected site. The intent was to prevent further spread and to safeguard nearby facilities from potential secondary damage.
On the night in question, there were reports that Ukrainian kamikaze drones targeted an oil depot in Belgorod region, prompting emergency responses and heightened alerts across the regional energy and security infrastructure. Authorities issued advisories to restrict access around impacted facilities and to monitor air quality and potential toxic emissions as a precautionary measure for nearby communities.
Earlier in the week, a separate incident in Ukhta saw a fire localized at a refinery site, underscoring ongoing concerns about fuel storage and processing facilities in the broader region. Officials reiterated that investigations would follow to determine the circumstances surrounding each event and to evaluate any implications for regional energy supplies and safety protocols. (Sources cited: Rudaw; regional authorities; multiple eyewitness reports)