Major fire hits oil refinery in Syria’s Homs

The blaze, which erupted in a distillation unit, was caused by a leak in a pumping station, state media reported.

Syrian firefighters extinguished a major blaze on Sunday that engulfed areas of its main Homs refinery in the west of the nation. The fire started in a distillation unit because of a leak in a pumping station, state media reported without elaborating. State television showed live footage of flames shooting out of parts of the refinery with black smoke plumes in the distance as firefighters battled the blaze.