Ecuador's main refinery suspends its operations after suffering a major fire

Ecuador's main oil refinery suspended operations on Monday after suffering a fire that left no fatalities or injuries, according to reports from state-run Petroecuador.

The plant "went out of operations indefinitely" to preserve "the safety of facilities and personnel," the company said in a statement.

The plant, located in the coastal city of Esmeraldas (northwest, near the Colombian border), has the capacity to process 110,000 barrels of crude oil per day. It is the largest of three refineries in the country.

Unknown origin of the fire

The large fire broke out in the early hours of the morning in one of the tanks in the utilities area of the refinery. A huge column of smoke and flames was observed from outside the plant. Petroecuador said that the causes of the incident are still unknown.

Petroecuador, which operates the facility, did not specify how much fuel was present when the fire broke out. After a few hours they assured that everything was under control at the station.

Military and workers of the refinery fenced off the passage to the plant to ensure safety and allow the passage of rescue vehicles, according to state news media.

Ecuador depends on oil, its main export product, which last year generated $8.647 billion. The Central American country produced some 475,000 barrels per day of crude oil in 2024, of which it sold 73%.