#Suddenly…
In just one day, a major fire broke out at three different facilities in Mexico and one in the United States controlled by the state-owned Mexican oil company Pemex.
On Thursday, three separate fires broke out at Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) facilities, resulting in the death of two workers, the injury of at least eight people, and several missing, Bloomberg reported.
That led to further scrutiny of the Mexican state oil firm’s safety record ahead of its earnings call on Monday.
Fires occurred at the Pemex crude oil storage facility in Veracruz, Mexico, the Maya unit (285,000-barrel-a-day) Minatitlan refinery in Veracruz, and Deer Creek, Texas.
The fire at the Minatitlan refinery was immediately brought under control, but the fire at the Ixhutlan storage facility was not yet extinguished, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador told a press conference Friday morning. He said, “In the case of Ixhuatlan, it took longer because it happened in an oil deposit.”
Watch:
#Russia: Massive fire with clouds of black smoke at Mexico’s largest oil storage facility in the city #Veracruz.
A pipeline fire at the facilities of state-owned oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (#Pemex) reported today by the Civil Protection Secretariat of Veracruz, Mexico. pic.twitter.com/D7XJ9l7rsC— Khurram Zubair (@Khurram__z) February 24, 2023
Three fires broke out Thursday at various facilities in Mexico and the United States operated by state-owned Mexican oil company Pemex.
Five are missing, eight are injured.pic.twitter.com/GR1AudZ3bz
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePress) February 24, 2023
UPDATE: Multiple fires rock state-owned Mexican oil refineries in 3 separate locations… pic.twitter.com/BXYoHHgczO
— The American Tribune (@TAmTrib) February 24, 2023
9 billion pesos are allocated in this way @Pemex We are still waiting for the official report on yesterday’s accidents in Veracruz… Minatitlan and Ixhuatlán del Sureste in this year’s spending budget.
Working families deserve answers! pic.twitter.com/rOIk9uSbqO— Indira Rosales (@Indira_rs) February 24, 2023
Below are statements released by the company regarding three separate incidents on the same day.
PEMEX Extinguishes Fire at Cavity Tuzandepetl-331 in Veracruz:
Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) reports yesterday on a fire on drilling rig PM-119, which provided maintenance to Cavity Tujandepetl-331 in the municipality of Ixuatlán del Sureste, Veracruz:
- During the search activities for the missing personnel, two bodies were found, which are being examined by the Forensic Medical Service, with the prior approval of the Federal Public Ministry.
- The search for the three missing workers continues.
- The two workers who remained hospitalized are stable and receiving treatment at PEMEX Hospital.
PEMEX regrets the human losses and injuries that have affected the health of workers and reiterates its commitment to their families.
Actions to determine the cause of the fire in the drilling equipment will continue and cleanup of the site will begin.
Update:
Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) reports yesterday on a fire on drilling rig PM-119, which provided maintenance to Cavity Tujandepetl-331 in the municipality of Ixuatlán del Sureste, Veracruz:
- During the search activities for the missing personnel, two bodies were found, which are being examined by the Forensic Medical Service, with the prior approval of the Federal Public Ministry.
- The search for the three missing workers continues.
- The two workers who remained hospitalized are stable and receiving treatment at PEMEX Hospital.
PEMEX regrets the human losses and injuries that have affected the health of workers and reiterates its commitment to their families.
Actions to determine the cause of the fire in the drilling equipment will continue and cleanup of the site will begin.
PEMEX controls fire at Minatitlan Refinery’s Maya Combined Plant:
- There is a record of five injured treated by the medical services of this institution
- There has been no disruption in plant operations and there is no record of damage to facilities
Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) put out a fire in the bank area of heat exchangers of the integrated Maya plant of the Minatitlan refinery, thanks to the operations and firefighters who managed to control the outbreak.
Due to this incident, there is a record of five injured people treated by PEMEX medical services. Accordingly, there has been no disruption in plant operations and there are no reports of damage to processing units.
The probable cause of the fire is assumed to be spillage of product on a hot surface.
PEMEX reiterates its commitment to the safety of workers who are part of this organization and will conduct a root cause analysis of this incident.
On Saturday, PEMEX Director General Eng. Octavio Romero oversaw the evaluation and cleanup of the damaged Cavity Tujandepetl-331 in the town of Ixhuatlán del Sureste, Veracruz.
CEO of #PEMEXEng. @OctavioRomero_O Visited the affected area of Cavity Tujandepetl-331 in the municipality of Ixhuatlán del Sureste, Veracruz to assess the damage and supervise the cleanup of the site. pic.twitter.com/CRlmIyKGpK
— Petroleos Mexicanos (@Pemex) February 25, 2023
