Fire in industrial zone of Matanzas
A fire whose magnitude has not yet been calculated, according to local authorities, is shaking the Supertanker Base in the western city of Matanzas. The event, which keeps the entire nation in suspense, is affecting 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 generated by a severe storm hit crude oil storage tank 52.
The supertanker base has eight tanks and has a lightning rod system, but apparently the electrical discharge was higher and it was unable to withstand it, according to authorities from the Matanzas Territorial Division of Fuel Marketing.
At least 17 missing. Government requests international help and advice (10:30 a.m.)
At least 17 people are missing after the explosions that were confirmed in the early hours of the morning, as reported by the Presidency’s Twitter. The official account itself assured that these are firefighters who “were in the closest area trying to prevent the spread of the fire.”
The Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, directed that the search for the disappeared begin, a task that, at the moment, seems very difficult due to the high temperatures and the risk of new explosions in the place.
Given the complexity of the accident, the Cuban government has requested help and advice from friendly countries with experience in oil issues, the president announced.
Matanzas Supertanker Base, fire
After the fourth explosion shortly after six in the morning in one of the three tanks that hit the supertanker port in Matanzas, the regional government of this city in western Cuba warned this Saturday and the social network with the fire that started yesterday is not like. to be discontinuous or without accurate information in its scope.
For this time (August 6, 9:00 am), local authorities report 58 injuries, including many journalists; ten of the total are in serious condition and three are in critical condition, including one in life-threatening condition.
Care for the injured took place at the Hospital Faustino Pérez and Eliseo Noel Camaño Pediatric Hospital, which, due to its proximity, works for emergencies. No deaths have been reported and there is already talk of hospitals in Havana ready to receive the injured, such as 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 gone to 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.
A force of tanker trucks, dozens of ambulances and firefighters who came even from provinces such as Havana and Mayabeque had moved to the place; but, according to journalist Arnaldo Miraban of the local newspaper, Girón, the strong northeast wind that had been blowing since the afternoon was the cause of the flames going to other tanks, at least the second one containing large volumes of fuel as well. In general, there were already three deposits affected at the close 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 by the Agencia Cubana de Noticias (ACN) news agency, the first tank that was impacted was at 50% of its filling capacity, which is 50,000 cubic meters.
The supertanker base – which has eight deposits – has a lightning rod system but apparently the discharge was higher than what it could protect, as explained by Rigel Rodríguez Cubells, director of the Matanzas Territorial Division of Fuel Marketing
