Large explosion rocks northern Iranian city
Tehran denies report, says only one person injured in fire; Qazvin reported to have secret uranium enrichment facility
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleTEHRAN, Iran — A large fire broke out Tuesday in an oil and wood storage facility in an industrial city in northern Iran, but only one person was injured, officials said.
The mayor of Qazvin, Masoud Nosrati, denied earlier reports that there was an explosion at the site. He also said firefighters had contained the blaze.
Qazvin, some 130 kilometers (80 miles) west of the capital, Tehran, is home to many cargo depots and industrial sites ranging from glassware workshops to tire factories.
The semiofficial Fars news agency initially said an explosion had gone off in a wood and oil storage facility, injuring nearly 50 people. Fars also said police had closed off roads to the area where the explosion took place. But Nosrati told the official IRNA news agency that reports of an explosion were “incorrect.”
The head of the emergency department Habibollah Behtooei also rejected earlier reports about a large number of casualties, saying nobody was in the facility when the fire began and only one rescue worker was injured.
Local media in Iran frequently issue conflicting reports amid the chaos that breaks out during emergency situations and it is difficult to independently confirm them.
According to Channel 2 News, the city has previously been reported to have a secret uranium enrichment facility.
The Times of Israel Community.