Cuba: violent fire in a fuel depot in Matanzas

Matanzas, Cuba: Lightning struck a fuel depot on Friday August 4, and the fire spread to a second depot.

This fuel powers the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant, the largest in Cuba.

The fire was still out of control this Sunday.

REUTERS - ALEXANDRE MENEGHINI

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

The still provisional assessment of the fire is one person killed, 121 injured and 17 missing, firefighters who were near the site of the explosion.

It is the lightning which is at the origin of the fire which declared itself Friday evening and which the firefighters do not manage to control.

It comes as the island faces recurring power cuts due to the obsolescence of its thermoelectric plants.

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Some 1,900 people were evacuated from the disaster area, located in the suburbs of Matanzas, a city of 140,00 inhabitants 100 kilometers east of Havana, from where the huge plume of black smoke obscuring the sky was visible.

The fire broke out on Friday evening when lightning struck one of the tanks at the oil depot.

In the early morning, the fire then spread to a second tank.

Seguimos in #Matanzas.

Visitamos a los lesionados y sostuvimos reunion con las autoridades de la provincia.

Es urgent encontrar a los bomberos desaparecidos por la explosión y wait a sus familias.

The situation is difficult pero de esta también vamos a dirty.

#FuerzaMatanzas pic.twitter.com/AzJvGy9tVT

— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) August 6, 2022

Cuba appealed for help 

Faced with the difficult control of the fire which "could take time", according to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, Cuba "requested the help and advice of friendly countries with experience in the oil sector".

Expresamos profunda gratitud a los gobiernos de México, Venezuela, Rusia, Nicaragua, Argentina y Chile, que con prontitud han ofrecido ayuda material solidaria ante esta compleja situación.

También agradecemos ofrecimiento de asesoría técnica por parte de EEUU.

#FuerzaMatanzas

— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) August 6, 2022

 The governments of Mexico, Venezuela, Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile quickly offered material aid, the Cuban president said.

“We are also grateful for the offer of technical assistance from the United States,” he added.

The US Embassy in Havana said it was "in touch" with Cuban officials, adding that despite the ongoing sanctions regime against the ruling single party, "US law allows US entities and organizations to provide relief and disaster response in Cuba”.

According to Asbel Leal, director of commerce and supply at the Cuban Petroleum Union (Cupet), the first tank "contained approximately 26,000 cubic meters of domestic crude, or approximately 50% of its maximum capacity" at the time of the disaster. .

The second tank contained 52,000 cubic meters of fuel oil.

Cuba has never faced a fire of this magnitude.

According to the official daily Granma, "there was a failure of the lightning rod system which could not withstand the power of the electric discharge".

The fire at the Base of Supertanqueros de #Matanzas NO sacó de servicio la unidad de la


CTE "Antonio Guiteras" Esta termoeléctrica está funcionando de manera estable.

pic.twitter.com/4123hLRIDC

— Ministerio de Energía y Minas de Cuba (@EnergiaMinasCub) August 6, 2022

Recurring power cuts

The fuel depot supplies the Antonio Guiteras power plant, the largest in Cuba, but pumping to the plant has not stopped, the

Granma

daily reported .

The fire comes as the island faces the obsolescence of eight thermoelectric power stations to meet the increased demand for electricity due to the summer heat.

Cuba is regularly confronted with power cuts.

The authorities must carry out rotating cuts of up to 12 hours a day in certain regions of the country, triggering the anger of exasperated residents. 

(

with agencies

)

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