January 24, 2017:

Firefighting operations go on after a fire broke out at a TonenGeneral Sekiyu K.K. oil refinery in Arida, Wakayama prefecture, western Japan, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. Kyodo News reported the fire prompted authorities to urge nearly 3,000 local residents to evacuate according to firefighters and local city officials. No injuries were reported. (Yohei Nishimura/Kyodo News via AP)  Over 500 people have been evacuated on Sunday from a refinery located in the Japanese city of Oita, Wakayama Prefecture as it caught fire, Sputnik reported.  According to Kyodo news agency, the local authorities were recommended to evacuate some 3,000 people.  The evacuated people were accommodated in two evacuation stations.  There is no data on the cause of the fire, as well as on the casualties so far.  The refinery caught fire at 07:00 GMT. According to the preliminary information, a container with lubricants flamed up, while no blasts were reported.  The fire area has reached 100 square meters [3.8 square miles]. Some 20 fire brigades were sent to combat fire in the area. Black smoke billows from a TonenGeneral Sekiyu K.K. oil refinery after a fire broke out in Arida, Wakayama prefecture, western Japan, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017. Kyodo News reported the fire prompted authorities to urge nearly 3,000 local residents to evacuate according to firefighters and local city officials. No injuries were reported. (Yohei Nishimura/Kyodo News via AP)  

By LexisNexis