Fire at two tanks in El Palito refinery, north Venezuela

Two of the tanks of El Palito refinery, in north central Carabobo state, caught fire after a lightning storm hit the facilities. According to Petroleum Minister Rafael Ramírez, firefighters with foam dispensing trucks are working on the refinery compound On Wednesday evening Minister of Petroleum and President of Petróleos de Venezuela (Pdvsa) Rafael Ramírez reported a fire at El Palito refinery, located in Carabobo state, north central Venezuela. According to the official, "a lightning set fire to two tanks at El Palito refinery at 7:30 pm." Additionally, he told state-run TV channel Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) that the firefighters of state oil company were working at the scene with trucks and equipment especially designed to deal with this type of situation. VTV informed that no major damage to the plant or people, both refinery staff and third parties, has been reported so far.