Syria's state petroleum company said a fire on a gas pipeline in the eastern province of Deir el-Zor was caused by sabotage. The blaze has halted gas supplies from a key processing plant to power stations, state news agency SANA reported.
The fire broke out on Monday evening on a pipeline between the Al-Shola area and Deir el-Zor after an explosion at a pipeline isolation valve, which the company attributed to sabotage. The fire stopped gas flows from the Jbeissa gas plant to power-generation stations.
Fire crews isolated the area on both sides of the blaze and were working to extinguish it as gas pressure fell, Reuters reported.
Syria TV had earlier reported a major fire on a section of the pipeline near a community south of Deir el-Zor city. Flames were visible from a considerable distance, and no casualties were reported. Video of the blaze was shared widely on social media.
The company has not said who it believes was behind the blast. It has also not given the extent of the damage or a timeline for repairs.
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Deir el-Zor lies near the Iraqi border and is home to some of Syria's largest oil and gas fields. Much of the region's infrastructure was damaged during years of armed conflict, and authorities have recently been working to restore several fields, pipelines and other facilities. The latest incident is a setback to those efforts.
The Jbeissa plant processes associated gas, a by-product of oil production, which is piped to power stations. A disruption therefore affects Syria's electricity generation and local fuel supply rather than internationally traded energy.
Pipeline sabotage has typically been repaired within days to weeks, unlike strikes on processing or export facilities, which carry longer downtime.
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