What’s Going On? Massive Fires Break Out at Three Mexico State-Owned Oil Facilities Including One in Texas Within 24 Hours (VIDEO)

 In just one day, massive fires broke out at three different facilities in Mexico and one in the United States that are controlled by the state-owned Mexican oil company, Pemex.

On Thursday, three separate fires broke out at Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) facilities, resulting in two workers’ death, at least eight people were injured, and several others missing, Bloomberg reported.

This resulted in increased scrutiny of the safety record of the Mexican state oil firm in advance of its earnings call on Monday.

The fires broke out at the Pemex crude oil storage facility in Veracruz, Mexico, in Maya unit (285,000-barrel-a-day) Minatitlan refinery in Veracruz, and in Deer Creek, Texas.

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, president of Mexico, said at a press conference on Friday morning that the fire at the Minatitlan refinery was immediately brought under control, but that the fire at the Ixhuatlan storage facility has not yet been extinguished. He said, “in the case of Ixhuatlan, it will take more time because it occurred at an oil deposit.”

WATCH:

Below are the statements released by the company regarding the three separate incidents in one day.

PEMEX extinguishes fire in Cavity Tuzandepetl-331 in Veracruz:

Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) reports regarding the fire that broke out yesterday in the PM-119 drilling rig that provided maintenance to Cavity Tuzandepetl-331, in the municipality of Ixhuatlán del Sureste, Veracruz:

• In the search activities for missing personnel, two bodies were found, which are being reviewed by the Forensic Medical Service, with prior authorization from the Federal Public Ministry.
• Work continues to locate the three missing workers.
• The two workers who remain hospitalized are stable and treated at the PEMEX Hospital.

PEMEX regrets the human losses, as well as the injuries that affected the health of the workers, and reiterates its commitment to their families.

Actions continue to be carried out to determine the causes that caused the fire in the drilling equipment and the cleaning of the place will begin.

UPDATE:

Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) reports regarding the fire that broke out yesterday in the PM-119 drilling rig that provided maintenance to Cavity Tuzandepetl-331, in the municipality of Ixhuatlán del Sureste, Veracruz:

• In the search activities for missing personnel, two bodies were found, which are being reviewed by the Forensic Medical Service, with prior authorization from the Federal Public Ministry.
• Work continues to locate the three missing workers.
• The two workers who remain hospitalized are stable and treated at the PEMEX Hospital.

PEMEX regrets the human losses, as well as the injuries that affected the health of the workers, and reiterates its commitment to their families.

Actions continue to be carried out to determine the causes that caused the fire in the drilling equipment and the cleaning of the place will begin.

PEMEX controls fire at the Maya Combined plant of the Minatitlán Refinery:

• There is a record of five injured people who are treated by the medical services of this institution 
• There was no interruption in the operation of the plant and there is no record of damage to the facilities 

Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) extinguished a fire in the area of ​​the bank of heat exchangers of the Combined Maya plant of the Minatitlán Refinery, thanks to operating and fire-fighting personnel who managed to control the outbreak.

Due to this event, there is a record of five injured people who are treated by PEMEX medical services. Likewise, it is reported that there was no interruption in the operation of the plant and there is no record of damage to the refinery facilities.

It is presumed that the possible cause of the fire was the spillage of the product on a hot surface.

PEMEX reiterates its commitment to the safety of the workers that are part of this institution and carries out the root cause analysis of this incident.

On Saturday, PEMEX Director General Eng. Octavio Romero supervised the assessment and cleanup of the damaged Cavity Tuzandepetl-331 in the town of Ixhuatlán del Sureste, Veracruz.