By Alejandra Garcia on August 3, 2023
photo: Ricardo López Hevia
On August 5, 2022, an explosion ripped through the Matanzas Supertanker base disrupting the city on what had been a rainy but apparently calm night. One of the eight oil tanks in the reserve was struck by lightning, causing it to collapse. Riddled with flames, the structure exploded in the early hours of the next morning, spreading the fire to a second tank containing 52,000 cubic meters of fuel oil and sending thick smoke billowing into the sky, which dissipated over the rest of the Western provinces.
That image of terror has not faded from the memory of the people of Matanzas and Cuba. Everyone followed the news with anguish in the days and weeks following the most ferocious and deadly fire the island had ever witnessed. Today, one year later, the pain is still intact.
Fourteen members of the city’s Fire Brigade died instantly when the first explosion occurred. Three others died days later from severe burns. One hundred and twenty-five people, including journalists, cameramen, and base workers, were injured; and nearly 4,000 inhabitants were evacuated. Each August 5 will be haunting.
In this first anniversary of the incident, Cuba has dedicated three days of homage. Matanzas announced that a memorial will be erected to honor the brave men who died in the line of duty.
“The monument will be built at the request of the Cuban people, who long for a place to remember them and lay flowers. It is the least we can do for those who risked their lives to save ours,” explained Yanelys Mijenes and Osmany Falcón, who will lead a group of Matanzas artists in involved with the building the memorial.
“The work will serve to exalt the solidarity and unity the nation showed in the face of tragedy. The monument will symbolize one of the burnt tanks, from which the figure of a fireman will emerge, rising up towards the sky as a sign of heroism. Seventeen royal palms will guard the monument, which will hold the remains of the fallen and their names,” Perdomo and Falcón told the local press.
There were also spontaneous displays by the inhabitants of Matanzas and other parts of the country in honor of the victims. The city’s Electric Motorcycle Club and the BigCuba Association of Havana took a caravan through the city’s main avenues. At the end of the tour, they went to the firefighting unit to which the victims belonged to present a floral tribute and pay their respects to those who worked tirelessly to extinguish the flames a year ago.
Matanzas’ local government in coordination with the country’s authorities also built homes for the families of the dead, most of whom were young men between 18 and 39 years old. The oldest was 59 years old.
Today the Supertanker Base looks renovated. The recovery work has not finished but it has not ceased from the moment the last flame was smothered. Matanzas has not been alone in the disaster. Aid and support has come in from around the world. The pain will remain forever at this time, but the solidarity that Cuba showed in those uncertain days eases the suffering faced with such an image of terror and sadness.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – English