Cuba mourns the death of firefighters of the fuel depot fire

• Lightning struck a fuel tank at the Matanzas fuel depot on Cuba’s northern coast.
• Firefighters worked for nearly a week to put out the massive fire.
• Forensic scientists say 14 of the 16 firefighters who died could not be identified.

As Cuba mourns the loss of 16 firefighters who perished combating a fire at the Matanzas fuel depot, flags are flown at half-mast.

Lightning struck a fuel tank at the depot on Cuba’s northern coast on August 5, causing a fire to start.

Firefighters worked for nearly a week to put out the massive fire, which swiftly spread to two additional tanks and caused explosions.

The worst fire in Cuban history, according to authorities.

The bones of 14 of the 16 firefighters who died could not be identified, according to forensic scientists, because of the intense heat inside the fuel storage.

They said that despite knowing the identities of the 14 firefighters who were battling the blaze when the second tank detonated, they were unable to identify any of the ashes they collected.

The president of the Cuban Society of Legal Medicine stated, “Given that the remains found were subjected to high temperatures for a long time, it is not possible to apply DNA extraction.”

“We cannot differentiate one from the other.” he continued.

At the Matanzas depot, four of the eight tanks collapsed, and for days, a massive plume of black smoke rose from the scene.

Thousands of locals were ordered to leave and instructed to wear face masks to prevent inhaling smoke.

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