Iran's petrochemical plant in Qom province hit by explosion, fire

An explosion and fire were reported at a petrochemical plant in the Qom province of Iran on Sunday.

Two firefighters were seriously injured and two of the fire trucks battling the flames caught fire and were destroyed at Shokuhieh Industrial Town, according to the Iranian Fars News Agency, reported The Jerusalem Post.

Some 150 firefighters and 20 firefighting vehicles were deployed to extinguish the large fire. A number of explosions were reported amid the fire.

A spokesman for the local fire department told Fars that the fire had been prevented from reaching nearby tanks which would have caused a "very large accident" if they had caught fire.

Last year, a series of explosions and fires hit industrial sites across Iran, including a number of petrochemical plants.

Iranian officials referred to most of the cases as incidents or accidents, although some reports have claimed that at least some of the incidents involved foul play, reported The Jerusalem Post.