Lorraine Williamson
A fire at Repsol’s industrial facilities in Cartagena’s Valle de Escombreras prompted an ES-Alert warning to nearby communities on Monday, 26 January, after a dense plume of black smoke drifted across the area. By late evening, the company said the incident was extinguished and, on Tuesday, Repsol reported the refinery had returned to normal operations.
By Repsol’s account, the fire was extinguished at 11.05 pm using the site’s internal emergency teams, with no injuries reported. A company internal investigation is underway to establish the cause.
Municipal authorities in Cartagena also confirmed the fire was out and said there were no casualties, while noting the earlier advice for people in the surrounding area to stay indoors as a precaution.
Where the fire started and why smoke became the big concern
Emergency reporting on Monday evening placed the outbreak at around 5.50–6.00 pm in the Topping 3 unit (primary crude distillation). The most immediate public-health issue was not flames reaching homes, but the smoke column produced by incomplete combustion — the kind of thick, dark plume that can carry irritating particles and fumes downwind.
That risk calculation is what drove the alerting system: authorities treated it as a protect-in-place event, asking people to reduce exposure until conditions stabilised.
ES-Alert message: stay indoors, shut out outside air
The Region of Murcia’s emergency communications issued an ES-Alert to residents in nearby populated zones, telling people to shelter indoors, close doors and windows, and avoid letting outside air in. Those already in vehicles were advised not to get out and to move away from the area with windows closed.
Local reporting identified areas, including Alumbres and other nearby districts, among those receiving the warning, as the smoke was visible across a wide stretch of Cartagena.
Response on site: controlled, extinguished, normality restored
Firefighters and local police attended as a precaution, but Repsol said the incident was handled with company resources and that municipal firefighters who mobilised were able to stand down once the situation was under control.
On Tuesday, Repsol said refinery activity had stabilised, and operations were back to normal, while the company reviews what happened and why.
What officials will look at now
The next steps are likely to centre on three practical questions: what triggered the fire in the unit, how smoke dispersion matched forecasts on the night, and what the incident reveals about early warning and public messaging around major industrial sites. For residents, the key point is that the protective advice was time-limited and tied to the smoke plume — and authorities will typically update guidance if air-quality monitoring indicates a lingering risk.
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