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Stunning video was captured showing a massive fireball rising into the sky after an explosion at a stricken oil storage facility in Cuba.
The scenes at the Matanzas Supertanker Base come as a fire affected at least four tanks there late Monday, Lt. Col. Alexander Ávalos of the Cuban Fire Brigade told Televisión Cubana.
“The fire has grown to a greater extent,” he said.
At least one person has died and 125 are injured and another 14 have been reported missing since lightning struck one of the facility’s eight tanks on Friday night.
CUBA’S OIL DEPOSITORY BUGS ON FIRE
A fireball rises into the sky after an explosion at the Matanzas Supertanker Base in Cuba. (@sacapinespromax/Local News X/TMX)
A second tank caught fire on Saturday, triggering multiple explosions at the facility, which plays a key role in Cuba’s electrical system.
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Video shared by a resident Sunday night shows a large ball of fire and smoke turning the area’s sky orange.
The explosion sent smoke into the atmosphere, turning it orange. (@sacapinespromax/Local News X/TMX)
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The governments of Mexico and Venezuela have dispatched special teams to extinguish the blaze using water cannons, planes and helicopters, fighting the blaze from multiple directions, while military construction specialists erected barriers to contain oil spills.
The raging fire could be seen from afar, the video shows. (@sacapinespromax/Local News X/TMX)
Local officials warned residents to use face masks or stay indoors given the plume of smoke that is enveloping the region and can be seen from the capital, Havana, more than 65 miles away. Officials have warned the plume contains sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and other toxic substances.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.