<p>A fire broke out on Friday at an oil refinery in the eastern South African city of Durban following an explosion, emergency responders said, adding that no-one was killed or hurt in the blast.</p>.<p>Smoke and flames billowed out of the refinery owned by oil company Engen in the Durban suburb of Wentworth early in the morning, prompting firefighters to rush to the site.</p>.<p>"Nobody was injured" in the "massive" blast, provincial emergency services spokesman Robert Mckenzie said via WhatsApp.</p>.<p>He added that a nearby block of flats also caught fire almost at the same time as the explosion.</p>.<p>Firefighters managed to extinguish most of the flames by mid-morning and bring both fires under control, while paramedics treated seven people for smoke inhalation.</p>.<p>Engen later confirmed that the fire started early on Friday morning and had since been "successfully extinguished".</p>.<p>The company said in a statement that the cause of the blaze was being investigated.</p>.<p>Engen's Durban refinery has a crude refining capacity of 120,000 barrels per day, according to the company's website.</p>.<p>An explosion in 2008 caused the plant to shut for around four months.</p>.<p>A fire also broke out the previous year when lighting struck a fuel storage tank, although the refinery remained operational after that incident.</p>
<p>A fire broke out on Friday at an oil refinery in the eastern South African city of Durban following an explosion, emergency responders said, adding that no-one was killed or hurt in the blast.</p>.<p>Smoke and flames billowed out of the refinery owned by oil company Engen in the Durban suburb of Wentworth early in the morning, prompting firefighters to rush to the site.</p>.<p>"Nobody was injured" in the "massive" blast, provincial emergency services spokesman Robert Mckenzie said via WhatsApp.</p>.<p>He added that a nearby block of flats also caught fire almost at the same time as the explosion.</p>.<p>Firefighters managed to extinguish most of the flames by mid-morning and bring both fires under control, while paramedics treated seven people for smoke inhalation.</p>.<p>Engen later confirmed that the fire started early on Friday morning and had since been "successfully extinguished".</p>.<p>The company said in a statement that the cause of the blaze was being investigated.</p>.<p>Engen's Durban refinery has a crude refining capacity of 120,000 barrels per day, according to the company's website.</p>.<p>An explosion in 2008 caused the plant to shut for around four months.</p>.<p>A fire also broke out the previous year when lighting struck a fuel storage tank, although the refinery remained operational after that incident.</p>