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 Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

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

firefighter A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...

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

thermal power station A thermal power station, also known as a thermal power plant, is a type of power station in which the heat energy generated from various fuel sources (e.g., coal, natural gas, nuclear fuel, etc.) is converted to electrical energy. The heat ...

, 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, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

's capital city of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.sulfur dioxide Sulfur dioxide (IUPAC-recommended spelling) or sulphur dioxide (traditional Commonwealth English) is the chemical compound with the formula . It is a colorless gas with a pungent smell that is responsible for the odor of burnt matches. It is r ...

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 (), o ...

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

and other poisonous substances with the risk of

acid rain Acid rain is rain or any other form of Precipitation (meteorology), 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 b ...

. 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, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

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 simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

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

Cuban government Cuba is communist and has had a socialist political system since 1961 based on the "one state, one party" principle. Cuba is constitutionally defined as a single-party Marxist–Leninist socialist republic with semi-presidential powers. The pre ...

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 in Cuba Building and structure fires in North America Explosions in 2022 Explosions in Cuba Oil storage facility explosion