RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 17 (Xinhua) -- A large fire hit the Manguinhos Oil Refinery here on Monday, damaging the complex, but no casualties were reported.

The fire started in the afternoon and was controlled after over two hours. The refinery management said no one was killed or injured.

According to the refinery management, the fire started in a tanker truck which was discharging fuel, and spread to other trucks in the vicinity. Firefighters managed to put out the fire before it hit the refinery's main compound and a shantytown located just beside the complex.

The authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. According to the National Petroleum Agency (ANP), the fire will not impact fuel distribution in the state.

Smoke could be seen from a good share of Rio's neighborhoods. The refinery is located beside one of the city's main highways, which was temporarily blocked to facilitate the quelling of the fire. The residents in the neighboring shantytown were also evacuated.

It is the second fire in an oil refinery in Rio's metro area in less than two years. In January 2017, a large fire at the Duque de Caxias Refinery caused operations to be temporarily suspended. Enditem

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