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Huge blaze at Lithuania's Mazeikiu Nafta oil refinery
AFP
VILNIUS
Petroleumworld.com 10 13 06
A huge blaze broke out Thursday at the Mazeikiu Nafta oil refinery in Lithuania, the company said.
"The fire started at about 2:30 pm (1130 GMT) in one of the production units after an oil product spilled," Mazeikiu spokesman Giedrius Karsolas said.
"The refinery continues operations but at minimum capacity," he added.
No one was hurt in the accident, he said.
Internet portal Delfi reported that smoke had billowed as high as 150 metres (450 feet) when the fire was at its fiercest, and that it could be seen from several kilometers (miles) away.
Nearby residents were being evacuated from their homes, the Delfi portal said.
The emergency services said in a statement said that some 800 square metres (yards) had caught fire at the oil refining complex.
But "two hours after the start of the incident, the fire was contained in some 300 square metres," the statement said.
Lithuanian Interior Minister Raimondas Sukys has gone to the refinery to assess the situation, and an investigation has been launched by the regional prosecutor's office.
Mazeikiu Nafta is the only oil refining facility in the Baltic states.
Bankrupt Russian oil company Yukos sold its majority stake in the refinery in May to Poland's PKN Orlen.
The deal is expected to be concluded this year, pending authorisation from the European Commission.
AFP 12 1504 GMT 10 06
Copyright ©2006 AFP. All Rights Reserved.
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