Five Injured in Manzanillo Fuel Tank Fire: One Critically Hurt

A blaze caused by the explosion of a gasoline storage tank at the T-22 Workshop of the Azutecnia Company in Manzanillo, Granma province, resulted in injuries to five individuals on Sunday. According to statements made by the Communist Party's first secretary in the province via social media, one of the injured is in critical condition.

Initial reports had indicated only two individuals with minor burns and no life-threatening injuries. However, as firefighting efforts progressed, the number was revised: one person is critically injured, two are in serious condition, and two require medical attention. All five victims have been taken to the Celia Sánchez Manduley Provincial Hospital.

Local Authorities Respond to the Crisis

Yudelkis Ortiz Barceló, the first secretary of the Party in Granma, visited the site with top political and government officials from the province and municipality. From the scene, she described the scale of the emergency response: "The Fire Department, community members, and institution workers are performing a monumental task to extinguish the fire."

Ortiz Barceló also updated the count of the victims in her posts: "As a result, five people were injured—one critically, two seriously, and two under observation." She added, "We will remain here until the fire is completely out and no more people are at risk."

Potential Causes and Historical Context

Local sources suggested a fuel pump inside the workshop might be linked to the fire's origin, though this theory had not been officially confirmed at the time of reporting.

The T-22 Workshop is part of Azutecnia, the Export Company of Cuba's Sugar Agroindustry, affiliated with the AZCUBA Sugar Group. This facility has traditionally been involved in repairing and restoring equipment and machinery for the sugar industry in Granma, a sector experiencing significant decline across the island.

Recurring Fuel-Related Incidents

This incident adds to a series of accidents involving fuel handling in Cuba. In late September, a fire broke out during gas line repairs in Havana, injuring six workers on Tulipán Street in the Plaza de la Revolución municipality.

Subsequently, the Fire Department publicly warned against storing or selling fuel in IBC plastic containers of around 1,000 liters, recommending the use of approved metal containers instead.

The most severe incident in recent memory occurred at the Matanzas Supertanker Base in August 2022, where a lightning strike on a crude oil tank resulted in 17 deaths and nearly 150 injuries, marking one of Cuba's largest industrial disasters in decades.

Authorities indicated that more information about the Manzanillo fire would be released as further details about the injured and the fire's containment became available.