Fire Breaks Out At IRGC Military Base In Western Iran

The fire started in a stockroom where motor oil and other flammable materials were stored in the Mahidasht district of Kermanshah province Monday morning, according to what government-controlled media said.

Initial reports said an industrial shed was damaged in the fire, which was put out by firefighters.

Teams have been dispatched to the base to investigate the cause of the incident.

Earlier in mid-January, social media reports by journalists and citizens said a series of loud explosions were heard in Western Iran, around the cities of Hamedan and Kermanshah. Some reports quoted Iran's Revolutionary Guard as saying that they launched air defense drills in the region, but residents reported anti-aircraft activity in the area.

Also in January, a large fire sparked by a rupture of an underwater pipeline interrupted production at one of the transmission pipelines of phase 16 of Iran’s South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf.

Iran has been the scene of mysterious attacks since July 2020 that twice caused explosions in its high-security Natanz uranium enrichment facility, causing major damage.

The frequency of accidents in Iran’s energy facilities is increasing with some blaming lack of proper maintenance of the aging infrastructures and some suspecting sabotage by other countries, presumably Israel.