After 3 days, Afghan-Iran border blaze under control

HERAT, Afghanistan – A massive fire that erupted when a fuel tanker exploded over the weekend at a major crossing in Afghanistan’s western Herat province on the Iranian border was brought under control on Monday, after three days of efforts by firefighters from both countries, Afghan officials said.

At least 20 people were injured when the explosion that set off a huge fire that engulfed many of the hundreds of trucks lined up at the Islam Qala crossing carrying natural gas and fuel on Saturday. The crossing, around 75 miles west of the city of Herat, the provincial capital, is a major transit route between Afghanistan and Iran.

The inferno involved two explosions at the border crossing — powerful enough to be spotted from space by NASA satellites — with about a halfhour between them. There has been no word so far as to what caused of the explosion of the fuel tanker or the subsequent blast. The explosions shut down the power grid in the region, leaving Herat in the dark.

Wahid Qatali, the Herat provincial governor, said more than 2,000 vehicles at the site of the blaze were saved, including 1,500 rushed across the border into Iran to keep them away from the fire.

On Monday, only small fires were smoldering in just a few places and were expected to be finally extinguished by the end of the day, said Qatali, adding that an investigation would look into what caused the blaze and also “estimate losses for the government and the private sector.”

Seven of the injured were taken to hospitals in Iran for further treatment, Qatali added.

The United States allows Afghanistan to import fuel and oil from Iran as part of a special concession that exempts Kabul from U.S. sanctions against Iran.

Satellite photos taken Saturday before the explosion showed dozens of tankers parked on the Afghan side at the border crossing.