Residents have been evacuated in Tuapse due to a fire at an oil refinery.

Due to a fire at an oil refinery in Tuapse, residents of nearby buildings have been evacuated to temporary accommodation. Classes have been canceled at city schools and two kindergartens.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," authorities reported this morning that a fire broke out at an oil refinery in Tuapse "due to falling drone debris." According to the Kuban task force, there are no injuries. 122 people and 39 pieces of equipment were involved in extinguishing the fire.

164 people and 46 pieces of equipment are already involved in extinguishing the fire, Kuban Governor Veniamin Kondratyev reported on his Telegram channel. "An evacuation is underway for the safety of residents of buildings located near the oil refinery. A temporary shelter has been set up at local School No. 6," he wrote.

The call for evacuation was published on his Telegram channel by Sergey Boyko, head of the Tuapse District. "Dear residents of Koshkina, Pushkina Streets, and adjacent lanes! Due to the threat of fire spread, the Tuapse Municipal District Administration asks you to evacuate. The temporary temporary emergency response center is located at Secondary School No. 6. Evacuation buses are waiting for you at 41 and 43 Pushkina Street," he wrote.

According to the Yandex Maps service, Koshkina and Pushkina streets are located in close proximity to the Tuapse Oil Refinery. There are also shops, the Neftyanikov Community Center, and a sports school nearby.

Classes Canceled at Schools and Two Kindergartens

Classes at city schools have been canceled today, according to the municipal district administration's education department.

"On April 28, city schools and a special school will be operating without students. The program will be implemented by rescheduling classes for another day or by condensing the curriculum. District schools are operating as usual," Interfax quotes the department as saying.

The remaining city kindergartens are operating as on-duty groups.

In addition, two kindergartens—No. 22 and No. 25—are operating without students. "The remaining city kindergartens are operating as emergency groups: meals and naps are provided for the children there," the department's statement reads.

As a reminder, on the night of April 16, a drone attack in Tuapse killed a 14-year-old girl and an adult, and injured seven others. Sixty residential buildings and three social facilities were damaged, and five private homes were completely destroyed. A fire also broke out at the seaport, which was extinguished on April 19. Tuapse residents reported that after the attack, "the entire sky was covered in smoke," and the smell of burning was felt throughout the city throughout the day.

On the night of April 20, a drone attack at an oil terminal in the port of Tuapse caused a fire that was extinguished only on April 24. According to residents, "it rained oil" in the city. The fire at the marine terminal poses a risk due to the release of combustion products, which are carcinogenic and toxic. Environmentalists emphasized that the "oil rain" reduced the level of harmful substances in the air, but led to soil contamination.

Furthermore, on April 24, after booms were breached due to rising water levels in the Tuapse River, an oil spill occurred into the Black Sea. Authorities declared the spill "local," but the oil products spread to nearby villages. Fuel oil has spread over a large area, and it's being cleaned up mostly by volunteers, local residents told the "Caucasian Knot" on April 26.

The oil spill that entered the Black Sea after the drone attack in Tuapse is expanding, and the environmental outlook for the coastline is bleak, as are the prospects for the holiday season, scientists noted.