A fire at the Baiji oil refinery in northern Iraq killed one worker and injured six others on Monday, Iraqi authorities said.

The blaze erupted at an upgrading unit inside the refinery in Salahaddin province, according to a statement from Iraq’s Security Media Cell. Firefighting teams responded quickly and brought the fire under control, the statement added.

“One worker was killed and six others were injured in the incident,” the Security Media Cell said, without providing details on the severity of the injuries.

A local official in Baiji, Adel al-Daj, said the fire was caused by a technical malfunction and emphasized that the situation was swiftly contained.

Located about 200 kilometers north of Baghdad, the Baiji refinery was once Iraq’s largest oil processing facility. It suffered extensive damage during battles with ISIS after the militant group seized large areas of the country in 2014.

The refinery was officially reopened in February 2024 following a comprehensive rehabilitation program, part of Iraq’s broader efforts to restore critical energy infrastructure.

Iraq is one of the world’s leading oil producers, with crude oil exports accounting for roughly 90 percent of the country’s budget revenues.