Five-day fire at Cuba oil depot after lightning strikes facility

Aug 11, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – It took firefighters five-days to finally control the fiery destruction at a Cuban oil depot. The blaze at the Matanzas oil facility was reportedly caused after lightning struck.

Scenes from the fiery events in Cuba [Photo credit, Yamil Lage/AFP, Ismael Francisco/AP and Ramon Espinosa/AP]

Matanzas is the country’s largest port for receiving crude oil and fuel imports. Cuban heavy crude, as well as fuel oil and diesel are stored in 10 huge tanks at the port and are mainly used to generate electricity on the island.

Cuban officials have described the five-day blaze as the worst in Cuba’s history. According to international reports, the fire destroyed 40 percent of the Caribbean island’s main fuel storage facility and caused enormous power outages.

Reuters witnesses reported the raging flames that ravaged a four-tank segment of the Matanzas super tanker port had died down and the towering plumes of thick black smoke streaming from the area were diminished and now mostly gray.

It was on Friday evening when the lightning struck one of the fuel storage tanks and by Sunday spread to a second. The fire spread to a fourth-oil tank by Monday. The fire was accompanied by huge explosions and despite efforts by Cuban firefighters supported by more than 100 Mexican and Venezuelan reinforcements it continued ravaging until day five.

According to Cuban reports, one firefighter died and 14 went missing on Saturday when the second tank blew up, as five were reported to be in a critical condition. Firefighter Rafael Perez Garriga told Reuters on the steaming outskirts of the disaster that he worries the fire would impact the power situation in the country.

“The situation is going to be more difficult. If the thermoelectric plants are supplied with that oil, we are going to have the whole world affected, it is electricity and it affects everything,” he said.

On Tuesday, more helicopters joined the effort to put out the fire, along with two fireboats sent by Mexico along with heavy firefighting equipment. “We have not yet been able to access the impact area due to the conditions. There is combustion and so we cannot risk our lives for now,” Perez told Reuters. On Tuesday evening, Rolando Vecino, head of transport for the Ministry of the Interior, announced “Today we have managed to control the fire.”

According to reports, Cuban officials have disclosed how much fuel has been lost in the fire which destroyed all four tanks. Authorities had announced that no oil had contaminated the nearby Matanzas Bay – still they warned residents to stay as far as 100 kilometres (62 miles) away and to wear face masks and avoid acid rain due to the massive plume of smoke the fire generated.

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