Two oil refineries in Europe caught fire: what is known about the consequences

On the night of October 20 to 21, two major fires occurred at oil refining enterprises in Europe. Both incidents took place at plants that process Russian oil or belong to Russian companies.

The first fire broke out at Hungary's main oil refinery MOL in Százhalombatta. The fire engulfed the crude oil distillation unit. As of Tuesday afternoon, firefighters managed to localize the flames, reports the AP agency.

This is the only major oil processing plant in Hungary that primarily processes Russian oil delivered via the 'Druzhba' pipeline. Witnesses told the state information agency MTI that flames and smoke were visible from several kilometers away. MOL reported the implementation of emergency protocols, and damage assessment is ongoing. Management is focused on ensuring domestic fuel supplies and is considering the use of strategic reserves. The incident in Romania occurred at the Petrotel-Lukoil refinery in Ploiești, which belongs to the Russian company Lukoil. According to DiGi24, an explosion occurred at the plant, which was under renovation. The annual capacity of the Romanian refinery is 2.5 million tons. As a result of the incident, a 57-year-old worker was injured and taken to the hospital. The causes of both incidents are currently unknown and are under investigation.