The Matanzas oil storage facility explosion was an explosion on 5 August 2022 of an oil storage facility in

Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Matanzas (Spanish ''Bahia de Matanzas''), east ...

, Cuba. It resulted in the death of at least one person, injuring 80 to 125 others, and leaving 17

firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

s missing. The explosion forced the evacuation of 4,900 people from the city, shut the local

thermal power station A thermal power station is a type of power station in which heat energy is converted to electrical energy. In a steam-generating cycle heat is used to boil water in a large pressure vessel to produce high-pressure steam, which drives a stea ...

, and sparked fears of an energy crisis in the country.

Explosion

The explosion took place on the night of 5 August during a thunderstorm. Lightning struck a fuel tank, causing an explosion. Black smoke from the ensuing fire spread up to 100 kilometers (62 miles) towards

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

's capital city of

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

. Subsequent to the first explosion, the fire spread to several other fuel tanks at the facility, destroying significant amounts of fuel. The first tank was at 50%, containing 25,000 cubic meters (883,000 cubic feet) of fuel while the second was full. The injured were hospitalized with five people in critical condition and 20 remained hospitalized. During the weekend, firefighters sprayed water on the remaining 10 fuel tanks to keep them cool and prevent the spread of the fire. Local officials warned residents to wear facemasks and stay indoors to avoid the

sulfur dioxide Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a toxic gas responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is released naturally by volcanic activ ...

smoke. The smoke also contained

nitrogen oxide Nitrogen oxide may refer to a binary compound of oxygen and nitrogen, or a mixture of such compounds: Charge-neutral *Nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen(II) oxide, or nitrogen monoxide *Nitrogen dioxide (), nitrogen(IV) oxide * Nitrogen trioxide (), or n ...

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...

and other poisonous substances with the risk of

acid rain Acid rain is rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). Most water, including drinking water, has a neutral pH that exists between 6.5 and 8.5, but acid ...

. Five days after the fire started, the fires had been mostly brought under control with grey smoke mostly replacing the original black plumes.

International aid

The countries of Mexico and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

aided

during the event by sending 100 firefighters, firefighting equipment, and two fireboats from both countries. Venezuela sent 85 volunteers and 20 tons of foam and chemicals. China sent aid with rescue and recovery operations. At least one senior Cuban government official showed frustration due to the lack of United States help. The United States had offered Cuba technical support, but as of early August no material had arrived. Cuban officials were glad to have technical advice on social media but at the same time consistently pointed out how little they received from the US. A

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs of other n ...

spokesperson later stated that they had a general discussion on the event, but that the

Cuban government Cuba has had a socialist political system since 1959 based on the "one state – one party" principle. Cuba is constitutionally defined as a Marxist–Leninist state. The present Constitution of Cuba, which was passed in a 2019 referendum, also ...

had not formally requested U.S. government aid. A high-ranking Cuban official made urgent calls to the international community for help. In Miami, several activists asked the U.S. Department of State to do more to assist.

References

{{Reflist 2022 disasters in North America 2022 in Cuba August 2022 events in North America Building and structure fires in North America Explosions in 2022 Explosions in Cuba Oil storage facility explosion