Lightning strike causes fire in oil storage site in Cuba

• Four explosions have been recorded at the location in Matanzas, injuring around 80 persons.
• Seventeen firemen who were working close to the fire have gone missing.
• The storage facility is outfitted with eight massive tanks that contain oil that is used to power power plants.

A lightning strike caused a fire at a Cuban oil storage facility, and the flames are already out of control.

Four explosions have been recorded at the location in the city of Matanzas, injuring around 80 persons.

Seventeen firemen who were working close to keep the fire from spreading have gone missing.
Cuba’s government has requested assistance from overseas professionals in “friendly countries” with oil industry expertise.

As helicopters dropped water from the sky, a thick column of black smoke billowed from the location and drifted westward towards Havana, Cuba’s capital.

The storage facility is outfitted with eight massive tanks that contain oil that is used to power power plants.

Lightning struck one tank first, but the fire spread to a second – and the catastrophe occurs as Cuba continues to face gasoline shortages.

Adiel Gonzalez, who is nearby, stated:”I was in the gym when I felt the first explosion. A column of smoke and terrible fire rose through the skies.”

The Dubrocq neighborhood, which is closest to the fire, has been evacuated, with other residents electing to flee areas farther away.

Mantanzas has a population of around 140,000 people, and President Miguel Diaz-Canel visited the town on Saturday.

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