A fire whose magnitude has not yet been calculated, according to local authorities, shakes the Super Tanker Base in the western city of Matanzas. The fact, which keeps the entire nation in suspense, affects three national crude deposits.
The flames and an immense column of smoke prevail from around 7:00 p.m. this Friday. As notified by the Ministry of Energy and Mines, lightning caused by a severe storm hit the 52 crude oil storage tank.
The supertanker base has eight tanks and has a lightning rod system, but apparently the electrical discharge was higher and could not withstand it, according to authorities from the Matanzas Territorial Division of Fuel Marketing.
At least 17 missing. Government alone international help and advice (10:30 am)
At least 17 people are missing after the explosions confirmed in the early hours of the morning, as confirmed on the Twitter of the Presidency. The official account itself assured that these are firefighters who “were in the closest area trying to prevent the spread.”
The Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, directed the search for the disappeared to begin, a task that, at the moment, seems very difficult due to the high temperatures and the risk of new explosions in the place.
⚠️#LAST MINUTE‼️
They’re in #Massacres several brigades of the Red Cross and Rescue and Salvage from Havana to provide assistance to those injured in the accident or any other mission entrusted to them.
✒️ Arnaldo Mirabal. #PeriodicoGiron #Massacres pic.twitter.com/aP6icW95tr— Provincial Government of Popular Power in Matanzas (@gpppmatanzas) August 6, 2022
Given the complexity of the accident, the Cuban government requested help and advice from friendly countries with experience in oil issues, the Presidency announced.
Matanzas Super Tanker Base, the fire
After a fourth explosion shortly after six in the morning in one of the three affected tanks at the Matanzas Supertanker Base, the provincial government of that western city of Cuba warned this Saturday on its social networks that the fire that started yesterday was not it seems to decrease and he did not have accurate information on its magnitude either.
Fire of great magnitude in the industrial area of Matanzas due to a lightning strike
At the moment (August 6, 9:00 AM), the local authorities reported 58 injured, among whom were several journalists; ten of that total were in serious condition and three in critical condition, one life-threatening.
The care of the injured took place at the Faustino Pérez Hospital and at the Eliseo Noel Camaño Pediatric Hospital, which, due to its proximity, was enabled for emergencies. No deaths have been reported yet and there was already talk of Havana hospitals willing to take in the wounded, such as the Calixto García hospital.
The situation is so difficult that the Dubrocq neighborhood, close to the incident, was being evacuated and the main figures of the Cuban government had appeared in the area.
The president himself, Miguel Díaz-Canel, wrote on his Twitter account after visiting the site overnight that “there was no history of a fire of such magnitude at the Supertanker Base.” Meanwhile, residents of the place reported an increase in the thermal sensation and irritation in the eyes due to the smoke.
? Injured at Faustino Pérez hospital.
? The fire is still out of control.#Massacres #GobMtz pic.twitter.com/grZy783TgE— Provincial Government of Popular Power in Matanzas (@gpppmatanzas) August 6, 2022
The provincial government shared an infrared satellite image on its networks where the place of the fire is represented by a black dot, which is possible in places of extreme temperatures such as those generated by forest fires, according to meteorologist Elier Pila Fariñas.
The column of smoke visible throughout the city, and already in some areas of other provinces, prevails since around 7:00 p.m. this Friday, due to a severe storm as notified by the Ministry of Energy and Mines, a lightning strike crude oil storage tank 52.
The reporter Aliet Arzola, from OnCubawhich is located near the place of the events, points out that in the afternoon there were two severe storms and that, although the second one was shorter, it was also very intense and, apparently, was the cause of the fact that set off the fire.
A force of tank trucks, dozens of ambulances and firefighters who even attend from provinces such as Havana and Mayabeque had moved to the place; but, according to the journalist Arnaldo Miraban of the local newspaper, Giron, the strong northeast wind that had been blowing since the afternoon caused the flames to spread to other tanks, at least the second one with large volumes of fuel as well. In general, there were already three deposits affected at the closing of this first note.
A scene of infernal blazing flames had been captured at dawn, when the fire included two of the national crude oil storage tanks. According to a report from the Cuban News Agency (ACN), the first impacted tank was at 50% of its filling capacity, which is 50,000 cubic meters.
The super tanker base – which has eight tanks – has a lightning rod system but apparently the discharge was higher than what it could protect, Rigel Rodríguez Cubells, director of the Matanzas Territorial Fuel Marketing Division, had explained.
We will keep updating this news.
