By Jorge Antonio Rocha
MEXICO CITY (AA) – La Esmeralda, Ecuador’s largest oil refinery, caught fire on Monday morning, which was contained after a response.
The fire began at 10.22 a.m. local time (1522 GMT) on the northern coast of Ecuador, in the province of Esmeraldas, and was followed by a powerful explosion.
Energy and Mines Minister Ines Manzano said on X that the Emergency Operations Committee (COE) had been activated.
“To inform the public, a fuel oil tank caught fire. It is under control. Refinery personnel are working on it. Additionally, the National COE has been activated through the Risk Management Secretariat and the Secretariat for Peoples and Nationalities,” she wrote on X.
Besides refinery staff, four nearby schools were also evacuated.
State-owned energy company Petroecuador later confirmed that the fire had been brought under control. Authorities will proceed with evaluating the damage to the facility and investigating the possible causes.
Security personnel from the refinery, as well as firefighters and national police, were deployed to the site.
All personnel were safely evacuated, and no injuries have been reported.
La Esmeralda is by far the largest refinery in Ecuador, with the capacity to process up to 110,000 barrels per day. However, it has suffered severe structural damage since a 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck on April 25, reducing its production capacity.
The fire plunges La Esmeralda into a renewed period of inactivity, impacting Ecuador’s economy by affecting both domestic fuel consumption and exports—more than 70% of the country’s oil is sold abroad.