MIAMI, United States. — The large-scale fire unleashed on August 5 at the Matanzas Supertanker Base, which caused four fuel tanks to collapse and took the lives of 16 people, has been, without a doubt, the tragedy of the year in Cuba.
However, the fire registered in the industrial zone of Matanzas has not been the only incident of this nature registered so far in 2022. Dozens of events of this type have occurred in most of the island’s provinces, leaving, in in most cases, fatal victims and serious material damage.
Below, we review some of the most notable fires reported on the Island this year.
Forest fires
The extensive forested areas, the dry periods and the high temperatures make Cuba perfect for forest fires. Year after year, these disasters consume thousands of hectares of forests. In that sense, 2022 has not been the exception.
A report from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) released by official media de la Isla pointed out that between January and May of the current year, the country registered 284 forest fires, with an estimated affectation of 1,876 hectares of forests and 1,308 of swamp grasslands.
The largest number of fires occurred in the month of March, with Pinar del Río, the Isla de la Juventud Special Municipality, Matanzas and Artemisa being the territories most affected by them.
The most serious forest fires occurred in Pinar del Río, with two claims classified as very large, while the other fire of great magnitude (classified as large) occurred in Mayabeque.
According to the MININT report, 83% of the forest fires could be controlled before consuming the five hectares, determining the root cause in all cases.
The Cuban Ranger Corps (CGC) announced that 96% of these fires were sparked by the alleged negligence of fishermen and poachers.
Burning for various purposes, the circulation of vehicles with technical flaws in the combustion system and the irresponsibility of smokers and passers-by also influenced the origin of some of these fires.
motorbike explosions
Another of the most frequent causes of fires in Cuba is linked to the explosion of electric motorcycles, popularly known as motorized motorcycles. Most of these claims are closely linked to poor battery handling, as well as incorrect battery replacement.
In June this year, a fire caused by the explosion of an electric motorcycle in a state-owned parking lot under lease near Calzada de Diez de Octubre, in the Havana municipality of Cerro, caused the total destruction of 12 of those vehicles and caused damage to two light cars. Also, several homes near the parking lot were affected by the flames.
Fire at Felton thermoelectric plant
On July 8, 2022, a fire was reported in the Block 2 of the Lidio Ramón Pérez Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE), in Felton, in the province of Holguín.
The Cuban News Agency (ACN)the first media outlet to report on the incident, indicated that the flames were controlled and no deaths or injuries were reported in the accident area.
The general director of the thermoelectric plant, Osmel Maturel Reyes, declared to the state press that the fire occurred shortly after two in the afternoon, while the turbine of block number two was being shot, as part of the tests prior to its complete commissioning. on going.
During the operation, a leak occurred in one of the boiler tubes, through which national crude circulated.
Fire at Matanzas Supertanker Base
The fire at the Matanzas Supertanker Base has not only been the most voracious reported in Cuba, but also the largest industrial catastrophe in the island’s history.
According to the preliminary version circulated by the island’s regime, the fire occurred after a lightning strike, which due to its force would have circumvented the Faraday cage arranged to stop the impacts of electrical discharges.
The fire in the first fuel tank ended with its collapse and with the intensification of the fire, which successively spread to tanks two, three and four, destroying them all.
Given the impossibility of controlling the incident, which circumvented the facility’s fire-fighting systems, the island’s regime was forced to ask for help from Mexico and Venezuela, who provided specialized personnel and material equipment to put out the fire.
other fires
In addition to the aforementioned fires, incidents of greater or lesser magnitude have been reported in the Guanajay Textile Confectionery Workshop (Artemisa); in the Selected Tobacco UEB of San Antonio de los Baños, located in that same province; at the Mariel Thermoelectric Power Plant (CTE), also in Artemisa.
Fires have also been recorded at the Calixto García baseball stadium (Holguín); in the Mario Muñoz sugar mill, in the municipality of Los Arabos, in Matanzas; in the building known as “VIVAC”, in Santiago de Cuba, where the Historical Archive of the City was located; and in a warehouse of the selected V-10-5 of the Tobacco Collection and Processing Company, in Pinar del Río.
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