Venezuela reports blaze at refinery 20 (UPI) -- The Venezuelan government said a fire broke out at units at the El Palito refinery after lightning struck a seal on a naphtha tank. Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said two tanks caught on fire at the refinery during a lightning storm late Wednesday. "I mean to clarify that it's not an explosion or a fire at the refinery," he was quoted by Bloomberg News as saying. It's a situation at the refinery that happens whenever there are these electrical storms. More than 40 people were killed and dozens more were injured when an explosion ignited two gas storage tanks at the Amuay refinery, the largest in Venezuela. The late August accident was one of the deadliest in the industry and forced the shutdown of a facility capable of processing 645,000 barrels of oil per day. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez challenged claims that Petroleos de Venezuela, known by its initials PDVSA, ignored safety issues at the facility prior to the August explosion. It's unclear if there were any injuries from the fire at the El Palito refinery.