Baiji blaze: Fire hits Iraq’s largest refinery

Shafaq News/ A fire broke out on Sunday at one of the units of the Baiji oil refinery, Iraq’s largest refining facility, according to a source from the Civil Defense Directorate in Saladin province.
The source told Shafaq News that firefighting teams were immediately dispatched to the site—known locally as the “Grease Refinery”—and began containment operations to prevent the flames from spreading to adjacent production units.
Preliminary investigations are underway to determine the cause of the fire. No casualties have been reported.
Baiji refinery, located in northern Iraq, had a processing capacity of 310,000 barrels per day. It was seized by ISIS in May 2014 during its occupation of Baiji and later recaptured by Iraqi forces in 2015. Following liberation, the facility suffered from extensive damage and was reportedly looted by armed factions involved in the anti-ISIS operations.
In February 2024, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani reopened the North Refinery at Baiji following a comprehensive rehabilitation process after more than a decade of inactivity. The government also announced the recovery of stolen equipment and machinery linked to the facility.