Alexandre Meneghini / Reuters
Lightning has struck the heart of Cuba’s energy supply. Several fuel tanks were on fire for days. Now the firefighters were able to bring the most devastating fire in Cuba’s history under control.
A fire brigade helicopter throws water at the large fire north of the Cuban capital on August 8th.
For days, black clouds rose over Cuba. In the Matanzas industrial complex, around 100 kilometers east of the capital Havana, several fuel tanks have been on fire since Friday. According to official figures, this is the worst fire in Cuba’s history.
Youth gather on a dock as flames and smoke rise from the supertanker base in Matanzas.
The government attributes the blaze to lightning that struck a fuel tank on Friday. The fire spread to a second tank on Sunday, and then to two more tanks on Monday, accompanied by powerful explosions.
The firefighters from Cuba were supported by colleagues from Mexico and Venezuela.
Cuban and more than 100 Mexican and Venezuelan firefighters worked together to fight the fire. According to state media, four out of eight tanks, each with a capacity of 300,000 barrels, had burned on Tuesday, but the fire was brought under control on Tuesday evening.
The huge flames near the Cuban supertanker port in Matanzas could be seen from afar.
At least one firefighter died in the blaze. The fire also claimed 125 injuries, five people are in critical condition according to government information. In addition, 14 people have been missing since a tank exploded on Saturday, according to the authorities on Tuesday. The President announced on Twitter that all support would be given to the families of the missing at this difficult time.
Residents as far away as Havana have been ordered to wear face masks and avoid acid rain as the blaze created a massive plume of smoke. However, according to authorities, no oil has spilled into nearby Matanzas Bay.
A water tank can be seen through the column of smoke.
The fire destroyed 40 percent of the Caribbean island’s main fuel storage facility in five days and paralyzed work at the Matanzas industrial complex, the heart of Cuba’s energy supply. The country’s only crude oil hub receives fuel from Venezuela and Europe, from where it is routed to smaller terminals across the island.
Cuban heavy oil, as well as heating oil and diesel, stored in Matanzas are mainly used to generate electricity on the island. More than 90 percent of the power grid depends on local and imported fuel, said Jorge Pinon, director of the Institute for Energy and Environment in Latin America and the Caribbean at the University of Texas. An estimated 40,000 barrels of crude oil are delivered to Matanzas every day.
A firefighter walks through the area where a lightning strike caused a major fire.
The important port and dock facilities of Matanzas do not appear to be affected. But: “Even the storage tanks that are not directly affected could be affected by the heat in their metallurgy and become unusable,” said Jorge Pinon. “It will take about a month before we know how bad the damage is.”
Oil has spilled in the area affected by the lightning strike. However, according to the authorities, no oil has spilled into nearby Matanzas Bay.
The fire exacerbated the island’s economic crisis. Cuba is already struggling with an ailing power grid and fuel shortages. Because outdated power plants have failed, there have been power outages for months. Also on Monday, the country’s main power plant, which is less than a mile from the scene of the fire, had to be temporarily shut down due to low water pressure in the area.
A plane flies over the plume of smoke rising from the fuel depot.
In addition, the corona crisis, rising import costs and, most recently, inflation in the communist-governed country have caused unrest. In July 2021, the economic crisis drove thousands of Cubans onto the streets.
A slow revival of tourism slumped by Covid-19 has brought some relief to the struggling economy. Before the fire, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean forecast Cuban economic growth of 3.4 percent this year.
However, the devastating fire in Matanzas is likely to cloud the prospects – this black cloud remains over Cuba.
Firefighters work to put out the fire at a major oil storage facility in Matanzas,
with agency material.