DAMASCUS, Syria, July 13 (UPI) -- A fire on an oil pipeline in northeastern Syria was extinguished by Wednesday, a source in the Syrian Oil Ministry announced.
The Oil Ministry said a fire broke out Tuesday on an oil pipeline in Deir Ezzor province near the border with Iraq. There were no reports of injuries related to the blaze.
The official Syrian Arab News Agency said investigators believe dry grass near the area may have ignited and sparked a small leak on a part of the pipeline under repair.
The Oil Ministry source told SANA the blaze spread over a wide area Tuesday before firefighters were able to extinguish the fire Wednesday.
"The source pointed out that production didn't stop and oil was transferred through other alternative pipelines," the report from SANA added.
The U.S. Energy Information Agency notes that Syria is the only major crude oil producer in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Oil production peaked at 583,000 barrels per day in 1996. In 2010, the Omar and Jbessa fields, the largest in the country, were producing around 300,000 bpd combined.
