At least 17 people injured in Saudi Aramco oil facility fire

A gas flame is seen in the desert near the Khurais oilfield operated by state oil company Saudi Aramco, about 160 kilometers from Riyadh. (Photo by Reuters)

At least 17 workers have been injured in a blaze that broke out in a Saudi Aramco crude oil facility close to the kingdom’s capital Riyadh.  

"Aramco regrets to report that several workers were injured as a result of a fire at a crude oil facility in Alwsea and all are being treated," said the state-owned company on Twitter on Wednesday, without giving any details on the cause of the incident.

It noted that the fire did not affect the facility's operations, and that the blaze had been brought under control.

The undated photo shows a flame from a Saudi Aramco oil installation in the desert near the oil-rich area of Khourais, Saudi Arabia. 

Saudi newspaper Al Riyadh reports that three of the injured are in a critical condition.

In September, a fire broke out at one of the company’s oil terminals in Eastern Province, injuring at least six contractors and two employees.