to the environment that took place when fire broke out at the oil tanks last Sunday. The National Environment Authority (NMA) claimed that the fire is the result of the fact that the entrepreneur ignored multiple warnings that were issued when serious violations were detected. Reports indicate that the entrepreneur ran his business without permission from the authorities. The district commissioner of Para had already ordered the entreito cease his operations but the man failed to comply. In May 2025 the NMA launched a series of inspections in response to numerous complaints about the smell and oil spills.

In December 2025 the NMA concluded that the illegal activities of the entrepreneur had caused a critical environment situation and so the entrepreneur was officially held responsible for the same to the environment.

The Para District Commissioner’s Office, the NMA, the Paranam Police Station and the Environmental Crime Unit (ECU) joined forces to put an immediate stop to the illegal operation. But while the investigation was being carried out, a new permit was requested under a different name but for the same location. The permit request was filed in January 2026.

The NMA made it clear that the current pollution must be cleaned up before the new permit request for the same location can be processed. This month the Para district commissioner formally issued the order that all activities be ceased which means that the entrepreneur is legally obligated to clean up the location in accordance with a plan that has been sanctioned by the NMA. The entrepreneur must also cover all of the costs that are generated when samples are analyzed by by a lab. The NMA made it clear that economic activities must never be carried out at the expense of the public health and that it would make sure that this case of handled properly.