Second Fire at Pemex Refinery in a Week Raises Operational Alarms

A fire broke out on Thursday 28th November morning at Pemex’s Minatitlán refinery in Veracruz, marking the second incident at a company facility within a week.

Local reports indicate that onsite teams quickly extinguished the fire, and no major injuries were reported.

The blaze occurred in the effluent area of the 285,000-barrel-per-day plant, sending a dense column of black smoke into the air. Initial investigations suggest the fire may have been caused by sparks from welding work conducted by private contractors, which possibly ignited an oil deposit.

While Pemex has confirmed plans to conduct a root cause analysis, the company has not disclosed whether the incident disrupted production.

Earlier in the week, another fire occurred at Pemex’s Salina Cruz refinery in Oaxaca, the company’s largest facility. Officials stated that the earlier incident also caused no injuries or significant damage.

These consecutive fires draw attention to ongoing safety challenges at Pemex, one of the most indebted oil companies globally. The company has faced repeated mishaps, including a fatal gas leak at its Deer Park facility in Texas last month.

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