A petroleum storage tank exploded at an industrial area across a fjord from Norway's largest oil refinery Thursday, reportedly causing flames to shoot 60 meters (200 feet) into the air, police said. No one was killed or injured in the 10 a.m. (0800 GMT) blast, although 10 people, mostly firefighters, suffered mild smoke inhalation, The Associated Press quoted police as saying. District sheriff Henry Indreboe said the fire was put out after about three hours, and that firefighters were hosing down nearby tanks with water to cool them. «The situation is under control,» he said. The nearby Mongstad oil refinery, operated by Statoil ASA, was not threatened because it is on the other side of the fjord, separated from the blaze by water, Indreboe said. The tank was owned by petroleum services company Vest Tank, which cleans contaminated drilling mud from offshore oil drilling rigs and processes leftover crude oil from tankers.
