An intense fire at the Leixoes oil terminal near Portugal’s northern city of Oporto was under control early on Sunday following an explosion, with 32 firefighters and rescue workers hospitalised, Portuguese news agency Lusa reported.
It quoted terminal director Jose Roque as saying the fire was ”stabilised” but not yet extinguished.
An explosion, followed by a second blast hours later, rocked the Petrogal refinery — an offshoot of Portuguese group Galp — on Saturday afternoon, causing a huge blaze.
Excavators were used to dump sand on to the flames, which reached up to 5m.
More than 100 firefighters were battling the flames, and 32 firefighters and rescue workers were hospitalised following minor injuries or inhalation of the toxic black fumes.
The cause of the explosion has yet to be determined, but the Lusa news agency reported it happened as combustible products were being moved.
No one was injured in the blast, but several nearby beaches were evacuated as a precaution as the smoke and flames spread.
The fire raced more than 1km along a pipeline to the refinery, but firefighters were able to prevent it from moving further and setting another pipeline ablaze.
Roque said the fire will continue to burn as long as there was fuel in the pipes.
Supplies of fuel to northern Portugal will be disrupted, but alternative ways will be found to send them by road, he said.
The refinery remains operational and has ”reasonable stocks”.
Roque said some fuel has leaked into the sea, but added: ”We are not facing a black tide.” — Sapa-AFP