At least 121 have been injured and one has died due to the fire. The fire accident in the city of Matanzas hit the middle of an already serious energy crisis.
15:23•Updated 15:41
Cuba has asked for help from abroad to put out an explosive fire at an oil storage facility.
The fire started on Friday evening local time when lightning struck an oil storage facility in the city of Matanzas. The fire has caused four large explosions.
So far, at least 121 people have been injured and one has died. 17 firefighters are missing – at least some are feared to have died in the explosions.
President by Miguel Diaz-Canel according to Extinguishing works can take a long time. Director of the state oil company Cupet By Asbel Leal according to this it is the biggest fire ever seen in Cuba.
According to the authorities, around 800 people have been evacuated from the neighborhood of Dudbrocq, which is located near the fire area.
Matanzas, with about 140,000 inhabitants, is located about one hundred kilometers from Havana, the capital of Cuba.
Help from abroad
The country’s government says it has requested expert help from “friendly” countries with experience in the oil sector. President Diaz-Canel thanks On their Twitter account (you will switch to another service) Mexico, Venezuela, Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile for the help they offer.
In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio tells On Twitter (you will switch to another service)that the US administration has offered technical assistance, and that the offer of assistance is in the hands of experts.
Chief of the extinguishing operation Roberto de la Torre says firefighters are spraying water on the intact oil tanks to keep them cool to prevent the fire from spreading.
An accident in the middle of an electricity crisis
The accident happened in the middle of an electricity crisis – fuel has already been low, the electricity grid is badly outdated and the country suffers from extensive power outages. The summer heat has only increased the need for energy use.
Since May, Cuban authorities have ordered blackouts that have lasted up to 12 hours a day in some areas. This has sparked protests across the country.
So far, there is no information on how much oil has already been burned. The storage facility has a total of eight huge tanks, whose oil reserves are used to run power plants. At least two of them are on fire.
According to Cupet, the first tank contained 26,000 cubic meters of crude oil when the fire broke out, which is half of its capacity. The other contained 52,000 cubic meters of fuel oil.