Irregularity of fire in Cuba hinders its extinction

Edited by Jorge Ruiz Miyares
2022-08-08 19:44:00

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Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Ávalo, deputy chief of the National Department of Extinction of the Cuban Fire Department.

Havana, August 8 (RHC)-- The high temperatures, the size of the tanks on fire, and the behavior of the wind make it difficult to put out the fire in the supertanker zone of this city, an official source said Monday.

Alexander Ávalo, second chief of the National Department of Extinction of the Cuban Fire Department, confirmed that despite the efforts, at this moment, the four fuel tanks in the disaster area in the industrial zone are on fire.

In a press conference, he explained that they are currently concentrating on avoiding the fuel propagation caused by the tanks' explosion and cooling the area to create conditions that would allow the application of the foam that would suffocate the flames.

He added that there is another terminal nearby with clear products such as gasoline, and they are preventing it from reaching those targets. He also specified that there is no danger of the flames reaching the Antonio Guiteras power plant, but preventive measures are being taken.

"It is impossible to calculate when it will be possible to extinguish the fire. It could be days; it does not depend only on our actions but also on the behavior of the wind and the high temperatures," he affirmed.

Avalo stressed that it has been necessary to constantly change strategy due to the irregularity in the behavior of the fire, which is unprecedented in the history of Cuba.

The official pointed out that at first, last Friday, the cooling of the first tank that caught fire due to the impact of lightning was undertaken, and when the foam was being used to extinguish it, it exploded.

From that moment on, there was a chain reaction in which other explosions occurred until reaching the four tanks, and defensive actions are being applied to attack the flames with foam and chemical products as soon as the temperature conditions allow it.

Avalo pointed out that there is coordination with several entities such as the Meteorological Institute, the Cuba Petroleum Company, the National Institute of Hydraulic Resources, and other institutions.

He highlighted the support of experts from Venezuela and Mexico, whose expertise and equipment have been very important to facing the incident.
 



Commentaries

  • Randall Kehrt's gravatar
    Randall Kehrt
    29/08/2022 12:10 am

    I am very sad to hear about the very bad fire of the oil tanks in Cuba!!! I was in Cuba this spring and I loved my time there. However, I could NOT use my credit or debit cards to get cash to continue my trip so I had to leave Cuba early. Want to come back to Cuba as it is so close to the USA. I live in Louisville, Kentucky and can drive the distance to Miami to catch a flight to Havana and leave my car in the long term parking. Wish no visa would be needed to visit Cuba. I hear Radio Havana Cuba on 6000 kHz but quality of sound is bad. I will soon get a new HF antenna for my ham radio hobby. AI4VK is my callsign.


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