Fire controlled at Egyptian oil company

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CAIRO, April 16 (UPI) -- A worker at an oil company in the Egyptian city of Suez said it was unclear what caused a fire that killed a firefighter last weekend.

A fire erupted at an oil tank at the Nasr Oil Co. in Suez during the weekend. An employee told Egyptian news service al-Ahram it wasn't known what caused the fire as all safety measures had been followed at the company.

At least one firefighter is dead and several others were injured in the blaze. Suez security chief Adel Refaat said the flames were contained though financial damage was estimated at more than $1.6 million.

Saboteurs last week attacked a natural gas pipeline in the region, the 14th time such incident has occurred since former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was ousted during a revolution in February 2011.

The Jordanian government is said to be examining the possibility of getting natural gas from Persian Gulf states or tap into liquefied natural gas from its neighbors, while Israel is examining its own natural gas supplies in the Mediterranean Sea because of Egyptian security issues.

There was no indication Monday that the fire at the Suez Oil Co. was related to terrorism.