From the Liveblog of
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Firefighters gain control of blaze at Haifa refinery; leak of hazardous material ruled out
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
The National Fire and Rescue Authority says full control has been established over the missile incident at the Bazan oil refinery in northern Haifa, with no casualties and no abnormal air pollution found.
A statement says that 12 fire and rescue teams from the coastal district operated at the scene after it was hit by fragments from an Iranian missile interception.
Firefighters carried out extensive scans of the area and extinguished a fire at the site. They also disconnected the sources of power supply to the facility, the statement says.
Fire and rescue services are still carrying out operations to cool the facility and check for any hazardous materials.
The Environmental Protection Ministry announces that the existence of a hazardous materials incident has been ruled out.
The Times of Israel Community.