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Updated August 9th, 2022 at 05:32 IST

Cuba: 1 killed, 125 injured after massive fire spreads in oil storage facility

An explosion was seen on Monday afternoon as a deadly fire that began at a large oil storage facility in western Cuba spread, threatening to plunge the island into a deeper energy crisis.

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An explosion was seen on Monday afternoon as a deadly fire that began at a large oil storage facility in western Cuba spread, threatening to plunge the island into a deeper energy crisis.

Footage from Cuban state television showed a huge ball of flames at the site, as dark smoke rose into the air.

Officials were forced to shut down a key thermoelectric plant to fight the massive blaze in the western province of Matanzas that began just days after the government announced scheduled blackouts for the capital of Havana.

At least one person has died and 125 are injured, with another 14 reported missing ever since lighting struck one of the facility’s eight tanks on Friday night.

A second tank caught fire on Saturday, triggering several explosions at the facility, which plays a key part in Cuba's electric system.

Firefighters had sprayed water on the remaining tanks over the weekend to cool them but failed to stop the fire from spreading.

Residents watched the fire from the other side of the bay; some went for a swim even as a firefighting helicopter flew overhead, dropping water on the fire.

The blaze comes as Cuba struggles through a deep economic crisis and faces frequent power outages amid a sweltering summer, issues that helped unleash unprecedented anti-government protests last year.

Officials have not provided a preliminary estimate of damages.

The governments of Mexico and Venezuela have sent special teams to help extinguish the fire, with water cannons, planes and helicopters fighting the fire from several directions as military constructions specialists erected barriers to contain oil spills.

Local officials warned residents to use face masks or stay indoors given the billowing smoke enveloping the region that can be seen from the capital of Havana, located more than 65 miles (100 kilometers) away.

"Together with our colleagues from Mexico and Venezuela, we are taking action to extinguish the fire. As soon as we have the opportunity, we will attack the fire with foam and all the necessary means to deal with the fire, which is developing in a highly complex situation," said Alexander Ávalos, Head of the National Department of Fire Control of the Cuban Fire Brigade. 

"The fire has taken on a greater magnitude, the four tanks of 50-thousand (cubic meters) are compromised. We are protecting terminal 321 where the clear (refined) product tanks are located, mainly to prevent the fire from spreading. Considering that the flash of these tanks (which exploded) and the emission from these tanks have caused spreading to all the areas including the part that is close to the generators," he added.

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Published August 9th, 2022 at 05:31 IST

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