“The danger we had introduced occurred, and the blaze of the second tank compromised the third one,” mentioned Mario Sabines, governor of the western province of Matanzas the place the ability is situated.
Firefighters had sprayed water on the remaining tanks over the weekend to chill them and attempt to cease the fireplace from spreading.
The governments of Mexico and Venezuela have despatched particular groups to assist extinguish the fireplace, with water cannons, planes and helicopters combating the fireplace from a number of instructions as army constructions specialists erected limitations to comprise oil spills. Native officers warned residents to make use of face masks or keep indoors given the billowing smoke enveloping the area that may be seen from the capital of Havana, situated greater than 65 miles (100 kilometers) away. Officers have warned that the cloud incorporates sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and different toxic substances.
The vast majority of these injured have been handled for burns and smoke inhalation, and 5 of them stay in crucial situation. A complete of 24 stay hospitalized. Over the weekend, authorities discovered the physique of 1 firefighter as family of these nonetheless lacking gathered at a resort to await information about their family members.
Sabines and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel mentioned it was not possible to seek for the lacking firefighters given the roiling temperatures.
The blaze on the Matanzas Supertanker Base in Matanzas metropolis prompted officers to evacuate greater than 4,900 folks, most of them from the close by Dubrocq neighborhood. The ability’s eight big tanks maintain oil used to generate electrical energy, though it wasn’t clear how a lot gasoline has been misplaced on account of the flames. The primary tank that caught fireplace was at 50% capability and contained practically 883,000 cubic ft (25,000 cubic meters) of gasoline. The second tank was full.
Jorge Piñon, director of the Latin America and Caribbean Power Program on the College of Texas, mentioned officers ought to examine the partitions of tanks that aren’t on fireplace to make sure they weren’t affected. He additionally warned that the federal government have to be cautious earlier than bringing the system again on-line as soon as the fireplace is extinguished.
“If not, there’ll be one other disaster,” he mentioned. “Sadly, that is going to take time.”
Piñon famous that the ability receives Cuban crude oil — working an oil pipeline that crosses the middle of the nation — to be transferred by way of small tankers to the thermoelectric vegetation that produce electrical energy. Additionally it is the unloading and transshipment middle for imported crude oil, gasoline oil and diesel, with Cuba producing solely half of the gasoline required to maintain its financial system afloat.
The blaze comes as Cuba struggles via a deep financial disaster and faces frequent energy outages amid a sweltering summer season, points that helped unleashed unprecedented anti-government protests final 12 months. Officers haven’t offered a preliminary estimate of damages.
Andrea Rodríguez on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ARodriguezAP
