HAVANA (AP) – A deadly fire that started at a large oil storage facility in western Cuba spread Monday and threatened to plunge the island into a deeper energy crisis, already which forced officials to shut down a key thermal power plant.
Flames around dawn engulfed a third tank that firefighters had been trying to cool as they battled a massive blaze in the western province of Matanza that began just days after the government announced scheduled blackouts in the capital of Havana.
“I’m very worried about the children, the elderly, the economy of Matanzas and the country,” said Dailyn de la Caridad, a 28-year-old resident. “We don’t know how this is going to end.”
At least one person has been killed and 125 injured, with 14 more missing since lighting struck one of the facility’s eight tanks on Friday night. A second tank caught fire on Saturday, causing several explosions at the facility, which plays a key role in Cuba’s electricity system.
“The risk we had announced happened, and the fire in the second tank compromised the third,” said Matanzas Governor Mario Sabines.
As of Monday afternoon, four tanks were involved, Lt. Col. Alexander Ávalos of Cuba’s fire department told Cuban Television.
“The fire has taken on a greater magnitude,” he said.
Firefighters had sprayed water on the remaining tanks over the weekend to cool them, but were unable to stop the fire from spreading. On Monday afternoon, the government’s power company announced that the fire had forced the shutdown of a thermoelectric plant supplying power to the island’s western region after it ran out of water, according to the official Cubadebate website. No further details were immediately available.
The governments of Mexico and Venezuela have sent special teams to help put out the fire, with water cannons, planes and helicopters battling the blaze from various directions while military construction specialists erected barriers to contain the oil spill.
Local officials warned residents to wear face masks or stay indoors due to smoke enveloping the region that can be seen from the capital Havana, more than 65 miles (100 kilometers) away. of distance Officials have warned that the cloud contains sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and other toxic substances.
Most of the injured were treated for burns and smoke inhalation, and five of them remain in critical condition. A total of 24 remain hospitalized. Over the weekend, authorities found the body of a firefighter as relatives of those still missing gathered at a hotel to await news of their loved ones.
Sabines and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said it was impossible to search for the missing firefighters given the high temperatures.
The fire at the Matanzas supertanker base in the city of Matanzas prompted officials to evacuate more than 4,900 people, most of them from the nearby neighborhood of Dubrocq. The facility’s eight large tanks contain oil used to generate electricity, although it was unclear how much fuel was lost as a result of the flames. The first tank that caught fire was at 50% capacity and contained nearly 25,000 cubic meters of fuel. The second tank was full.
Jorge Piñón, director of the Energy Program for Latin America and the Caribbean at the University of Texas, said officials should inspect the walls of tanks that aren’t on fire to make sure they weren’t damaged. He also warned that the government must be careful before bringing the system back online after the fire is out.
“If not, there will be another catastrophe,” he said. “Unfortunately, this will take time.”
Piñón noted that the facility receives Cuban crude oil — which operates a pipeline that runs through the center of the country — to be transported via small tankers to thermoelectric plants that produce electricity. It is also the unloading and transshipment center for imported crude oil, fuel oil and diesel, with Cuba producing only half of the fuel needed to keep its economy afloat.
The fire comes as Cuba struggles with a deep economic crisis and faces frequent power outages amid a sweltering summer, problems that helped spark unprecedented anti-government protests last year. Officials have not provided a preliminary damage estimate.
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Associated Press videographer Osvaldo Angulo in Matanzas, Cuba, contributed.
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Andrea Rodríguez on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ARodriguezAP