Fire crews and police three cities nearby gathered to extinguish the blaze. By the way, pipelines in that area have been hit several times in the past few weeks.
Also on Sunday, a senior official of the state-run South Oil Company told Dow Jones Newswires that Iraq shut down a key oil export pipeline near Basra after attacks on two major pipelines. The official said the shutdown reduced exports by 10 per cent.
The new government has set up a dedicated force operating to help monitor the lines and prevent the frequent insurgent attacks. But officials say with over 7,000km of pipelines, providing adequate security is a difficult task.
Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi had previously said that recent attacks have cost the country $1 billion in lost revenue.
