Venezuelan refinery ablaze after lightning strike

 Firefighters battled a blaze at a Venezuelan refinery on Sunday after a lightning strike, a top official in the country's state oil company said.

Lightning struck Sunday afternoon at a Petroleos de Venezuela refinery in the northern city of Puerto La Cruz, causing an explosion and subsequent fire, company Vice President Asdrubal Chavez said.

No injuries have been reported, Chavez said. Authorities are evacuating residents who live near the refinery, Anzoategui state Gov. Aristobulo Isturiz said.

Officials said lightning struck a pond at the refinery around 3:15 p.m. Sunday.

Video of the scene shows bright orange flames shooting up from the ground and a column of thick, black smoke rising far above the refinery.

In a Twitter post, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said he was in close contact with teams on the ground.

The state oil company describes the Puerto La Cruz refinery as one of its "most important centers of crude oil processing."

About 1,000 workers are based at the facility, the company said.