Firefighters worked throughout the morning to extinguish the blaze that started at dawn in a storage tank at the New American Oil refinery, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the provincial capital of Neuquen.
The fire quickly spread throughout the refinery and local media outlets published video showing a massive explosion followed by dark clouds of smoke rising from the facility.
Three workers at the refinery died, said Mayor Gustavo Suárez of the nearby town of Plaza Huincul. The blast also burned a fourth worker, who is out of danger, and injured two firefighters, officials said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Neuquen provincial government said.
The fire quickly “took over the entire refinery,” said Roberto Bello, a law enforcement officer with the Neuquén Police Department.
As a result of the fire, the Private Oil Workers’ Union of the Río Negro, Neuquén and La Pampa provinces called for a workers’ strike.
“Fed up with the lack of commitment to the lives of workers, the board of directors of the Private Oil and Gas Union of Rio Negro, Neuquen and La Pampa, decided to launch a total strike of activities in the territorial scope of the organization,” the union said, adding they are asking for greater safety measures.
The union is the largest in the country, representing some 25,000 workers. It covers activities in Vaca Muerta, the world’s second-largest unconventional gas reserve and fourth-largest oil reserve.
Smoke rises from the New American Oil (NAO) refinery in Plaza Huincul, Neuquen province, Argentina, after an explosion caused a major fire, killing three workers and injuring one more worker and two firefighters.
Source: Fernando Ranni/Diario Rio Negro via AP