Two workers hurt in Eni Taranto refinery fire

A worker suffered burns Monday as a result of a fire that broke out at the Eni refinery in the southern Italian city of Taranto and a colleague was hurt when a large metal cylinder hit him on the forehead. The first man, 44-year-old Luigi Ancora, suffered serious injuries and is now at the Perrino hospital in Brindisi. He had initially been transported to the Santissima Annunziata hospital in Taranto, but given the serious nature of the injuries the local medical personnel organized for him to be transferred to the Brindisi hospital's Serious Burns unit. He was carrying out maintenance work on a pipeline that leads to a fuel tank when the fire broke out. The local fire brigade was able to put out the flames before an explosion took place. The second man's injuries are reportedly minor. Ancora is an employee of specialized waste disposal company Tps. Both workers were on location when the fire broke out. Eni said the fire probably broke out because of a valve fault. A large black cloud could be visible following the incident. Local authorities in Taranto have determined an increase in the levels of benzene in the air from the time the fire broke out. The values were determined as part of the obligatory checks carried out by public body Arpa to evaluate any environmental impact the fire could have had. Additional controls are being carried out on local underground water sources and on local terrain. Arpa is also currently investigating whether the correct maintenance work was carried out at the refinery in respect of environmental norms.