On Saturday, a massive fire broke out at the headquarters of a petrochemical facility in southeast Shanghai, and at least one person died.
The fire started around 4 a.m. at an ethylene glycol processing unit owned by Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical, a state-owned oil company headquartered in an industrial park in the suburb of Jinshan.
The company said in a statement posted on Chinese social media that the firefighters were able to control the fire the account. Sinopec said a “third-party driver” died in the disaster and that one of its employees was injured.
“The specific cause is under further investigation,” the company said.
Videos on social media showed raging fires and huge plumes of black smoke from what appeared to be part of the Sinopec facility separated from the residential area in the area.
Some residents living near the facility fled their buildings after hearing the blast and describing a pungent odor from a few miles away, according to a local media report.
The company said the fire had been “effectively controlled” but that it was carrying out a “preventive burn”.
Sinopec said it is monitoring the area for volatile organic compounds and has not yet detected any adverse effect on the local water supply.
Joy Dong contributed to the report.
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