Fire at Zawiya oil depot in Libya destroys 4.5m litres of gasoline
Brega Petroleum Marketing Company declares emergency after second incident at the refinery in 48 hours
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Fire at Zawiya oil depot in Libya destroys 4.5m litres of gasoline
Photograph: Anadolu Ajansı (embedded from source)
What this story says
- The fire destroyed an estimated 4.5 million litres of gasoline at Libya’s Zawiya oil depot on 10 August 2026.
- Brega Petroleum Marketing Company, which operates the depot, declared an emergency but did not confirm the cause of the fire.
- The incident occurred two days after a drone strike caused a leak in an untreated naphtha tank at the same refinery.
- No casualties were reported, but the fire raised concerns about fuel supply disruptions in Libya’s divided political landscape.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 8 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 6 of the 14 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
74/100
Craft
85/100
Hype
15/100
14 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
Only 1 of the 8 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
A fire broke out on 10 August 2026 at diesel tank No. 402 at the Zawiya oil depot in Libya, destroying an estimated 4.5 million litres of gasoline. The blaze, accompanied by thick black smoke, was reported by Brega Petroleum Marketing Company, which manages the facility. The company stated the cause of the fire was unknown and declared an extreme state of emergency in the area.
The Zawiya refinery, located 40 kilometres west of Tripoli, is Libya’s largest operational refinery, with a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day. Firefighting teams worked to contain the blaze and cool adjacent tanks to prevent further spread. Brega Petroleum Marketing Company, owned by the state-run National Oil Corporation (NOC), said the refinery continued to operate without suspension, according to two engineers at the site.
The incident followed a drone strike on 8 August 2026, which caused a leak in an untreated naphtha tank at the same refinery. Staff managed to control the leak, but the subsequent fire at tank No. 402 raised concerns about repeated attacks on Libya’s energy infrastructure. Brega Petroleum Marketing Company called for an immediate investigation and urged all parties to avoid targeting oil facilities, warning of risks to residents and fuel supplies.
Disagreements in the reports
The reports disagree on whether the fire was caused by a direct strike. WTVB reported that the National Oil Corporation stated the tank was “directly targeted,” while Anadolu Ajansı quoted Brega Petroleum Marketing Company as saying the tank was “hit under circumstances whose causes remain unknown.” Neither outlet provided evidence to confirm the cause.
What the coverage left out
No left-rated outlet ran this story. None of the digests or reports mentioned the estimated financial cost of the damage or the potential impact on Libya’s fuel supply chain beyond general warnings. Anadolu Ajansı’s report was the only one to note that Brega Petroleum Marketing Company provided no information about casualties.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 4 times, most recently on 10 Aug 2026, 22:15, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
1 rated outlet
We have not written our reading of the left coverage of this story. The left-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.
Centre
4 rated outlets
- The two centre-rated reports, WTVB and the Jerusalem Post digest, both led on the fire at diesel tank No. 402 and the emergency response. WTVB’s full report included details of the refinery’s capacity, the estimated volume of gasoline in the tank, and the earlier drone strike on 8 August. It also quoted the National Oil Corporation’s statement that the tank was “directly targeted” and included unverified footage of the blaze.
- WTVB named the engineers who confirmed the refinery remained operational and provided context on Libya’s political divisions, including the rival governments in Tripoli and Benghazi. The Jerusalem Post digest mentioned only the earlier drone strike and the leak it caused.
Right
3 rated outlets
- The three right-rated digests, Anadolu Ajansı, Al Bawaba, and The Straits Times, all reported the fire at tank No. 402 and the unknown cause. Anadolu Ajansı’s full report led on the emergency response and the company’s warning about the risks of targeting oil facilities. It quoted Brega Petroleum Marketing Company’s statement that the tank was “hit under circumstances whose causes remain unknown” and included a broader context on Libya’s political divisions and the strategic importance of Zawiya.
- Anadolu Ajansı also reported the company’s appeal to all parties to halt hostilities near oil facilities, framing the incident as part of ongoing security tensions in the region. Al Bawaba’s digest focused on the earlier drone strike on 8 August, while The Straits Times digest repeated the basic facts of the fire and the unknown cause.
Read it at the source
14 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
1Centre
4- Libya’s Al-Zawiya oil facility catches fire - Shafaq News (opens شفق نيوز in a new tab)
شفق نيوز
- Fire breaks out at diesel tank at Libya's Zawiya oil depot - statement ... (opens Reuters in a new tab)
- Fire breaks out at diesel tank at Libya’s Zawiya oil depot – statement (opens WTVB in a new tab)
- Fire breaks out at diesel tank at Libya's Zawiya oil depot (opens Jerusalem Post in a new tab)
Jerusalem Post — is Jerusalem Post biased? Our profile of this outlet
Right
3- Drone strike hits Libya’s Al-Zawiya oil refinery, causing naphtha leak (opens Al Bawaba in a new tab)
- Fire breaks out at diesel tank at Libya's Zawiya oil depot (opens The Straits Times in a new tab)
The Straits Times — is The Straits Times biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fire breaks out at fuel tank in Libya’s Zawiya oil depot (opens Anadolu Ajansı in a new tab)
Anadolu Ajansı — is Anadolu Ajansı biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
6- Libya: New Explosions at Zawiya Refinery – Fuel Tank Explodes (opens Naftemporiki in a new tab)
Naftemporiki — is Naftemporiki biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Libya: Explosions at Zawiya Refinery (opens ertnews.gr in a new tab)
ertnews.gr — is ertnews.gr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Explosions in a Fuel Tank at a Zawiya Refinery in Libya (opens CNN Greece in a new tab)
CNN Greece — is CNN Greece biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Drone strike hits Zawiya oil refinery fuel tank as Libya conflict escalates (opens Crypto Briefing in a new tab)
Crypto Briefing — is Crypto Briefing biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Fire at Zawiya Oil Depot Near Tripoli (opens Haberler in a new tab)
- Fire Breaks Out at Zawia Oil Depot Diesel Tank (opens Libya Herald in a new tab)
Libya Herald — is Libya Herald biased? Our profile of this outlet
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Fire at Zawiya oil depot in Libya destroys 4.5m litres of gasoline?
- Of the 8 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 13% are rated left, 49% are rated centre, 38% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 14. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Fire at Zawiya oil depot in Libya destroys 4.5m litres of gasoline left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 8 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Fire at Zawiya oil depot in Libya destroys 4.5m litres of gasoline biased?
- Fire at Zawiya oil depot in Libya destroys 4.5m litres of gasoline is one event reported by 14 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Fire at Zawiya oil depot in Libya destroys 4.5m litres of gasoline?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Fire at Zawiya oil depot in Libya destroys 4.5m litres of gasoline?
- 14 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- How much gasoline was destroyed in the fire at Zawiya oil depot?
- The fire at diesel tank No. 402 destroyed an estimated 4.5 million litres of gasoline, according to Brega Petroleum Marketing Company. The refinery, Libya’s largest operational facility, has a capacity of 120,000 barrels per day.
- What caused the fire at Libya’s Zawiya oil depot?
- The cause of the fire remains unknown. Brega Petroleum Marketing Company stated the tank was “hit under circumstances whose causes remain unknown,” while the National Oil Corporation said it was “directly targeted.” No evidence confirming either claim was provided.
- Did the fire at Zawiya oil depot cause any casualties?
- Brega Petroleum Marketing Company did not provide information about casualties, according to Anadolu Ajansı. None of the reports mentioned injuries or deaths resulting from the fire.
- How did the fire at Zawiya oil depot affect Libya’s fuel supply?
- The refinery continued to operate without suspension, according to two engineers at the site. However, Brega Petroleum Marketing Company warned that targeting oil facilities could disrupt fuel supplies and pose risks to residents and workers.
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

