ANKARA, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Turkey's state pipeline operator Botas said on Tuesday that it cut oil flow at the Kirkuk-Ceyhan oil pipeline following an explosion near the southeastern province of Kahramanmaras.

In a statement, Botas also said a fire erupted following the explosion and firefighters and emergency personnel were deployed to extinguish the blaze.

The reason for the explosion, which occurred close to the 511th kilometer of the pipeline, was unknown, it also said. (Reporting by Orhan Coskun Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun)