Huge fire in Cuba’s fuel storage due to lightning, 1 dead, 122 injured

Havana:

Lightning struck a fuel storage facility in Cuba’s Matanzas port, causing a massive fire. The fire, which broke out on August 5, could not be brought under control till Monday morning. Cuba has sought help from other countries to extinguish this fire. At present, one person died and 122 others were injured in the fire. This was informed by the Ministry of Public Health. A major fire broke out in a crude oil tank at the plant after lightning struck at 7 pm on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. The fire spread to the second tank the next morning, causing several explosions.

According to staff looking after the fuel storage facility, the first tank that was hit by lightning contained about 25,000 cubic liters of crude oil. The system used to stop the spread of fire due to lightning and extinguish it also failed. According to official figures, around 5,000 residents have been evacuated from the site so far. Significantly, the Caribbean country is facing a shortage of electricity due to lack of fuel. Cuba’s power supply could get worse after the blasts.

The magnitude of the fire can be gauged in such a way that the entire sky turned yellow due to the flames rising from the fuel storage. The fuel storage facility is located on the outskirts of Matanjas, a city with a population of 140,000. The fire, which broke out on Friday night, spread to the second tank in the early hours of Saturday, causing explosions in it too. After the explosion, the entire sky turned black and smoke spread all around. Helicopters had to struggle hard to control the fire. Ambulances, water tanks and cranes were present on the spot. The explosion was so strong that even the local people felt its tremors.