Copyright Star Tribune
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Firefighters in Hungary have contained a blaze that broke out overnight at the country's main oil refinery, authorities and Hungarian energy company MOL said Tuesday. No injuries have been reported. The fire erupted Monday night in a processing unit of the Danube Refinery in Százhalombatta, south of the capital Budapest, MOL said in a statement posted to the Budapest Stock Exchange website Tuesday. The cause of the incident is under investigation. MOL said emergency protocols were followed and units not affected by the blaze were being gradually restarted as damage assessments continued. The company added that it would focus on ensuring domestic fuel supplies and was considering whether to draw on Hungary's strategic reserves. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said on Tuesday that he had spoken with MOL executives and the interior minister about the fire. ''Hungary's fuel supply is secure,'' Orbán wrote on social media, adding that the circumstances surrounding the blaze were being investigated ''as thoroughly as possible.'' Authorities said air quality around the refinery was being continuously monitored and no readings above health limits had been detected. According to Hungary's disaster management authority, the facility's own fire brigade was first on the scene, supported by professional firefighters from nearby cities. Eyewitnesses told the state news agency MTI that flames and smoke were visible from several kilometers away. Firefighters in Hungary have contained a blaze that broke out overnight at the country's main oil refinery, authorities and Hungarian energy company MOL said Tuesday. No injuries have been reported. Ukrainians are preparing for another winter of blackouts as Russia renews its strikes on the country's energy grid. In front-line areas, residents rely on generators and stored water. In the northern town of Shostka, a Russian strike cut power, water and gas, forcing hospitals to depend on costly generators to keep patients alive. As the lights went out in her hometown, 40-year-old Zinaida Kot could not help but think about her next dialysis treatment for kidney disease. Without electricity, the machine that keeps her alive stops working.
