Fire at Gulf petrol station under control

A large fire at the Gulf petrol base on Tskalsadeni St in Tbilisi's Gldani district has been contained although a dozen cars were destroyed and one person was injured.

Firefighters from several fire brigades and other emergency services were at the scene and fought the blaze for two hours before it was brought under control.

Emergency Services Chief Temur Giorgadze said the fire was near the oil reservoirs.

"We avoided the greatest danger. There were about 40 tanks full of petrol. [If these caught alight] their explosions would have cause serious damage and injuries to those living in the Gldani district,” Giorgadze said.

While the scale of the damage has not yet been confirmed, Giorgadze said the area near the petrol tanks had completely burnt. A six-car repair building and about 12 cars were destroyed in the fire.

One Gulf employee was suffered minor injuries but they were not life threatening, Giorgadze said.

As eye witness at the scene said the fire was very strong and explosions were heard. Large plumes of thick, black smoke rose up above the burning petrol station and wafted over the nearby area.

Gulf media spokesperson Nino Jibladze said the fire initially broke out involving a fuel transporter truck and then spread to the petrol bases.

She said it was unclear how much damage had been caused.

The cause of fire is unknown at this time and an investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the incident.

The photo above was taken at the scene.

Photo by news agency IPN

Photo by news agency IPN