A large fire was reported this Saturday in the vicinity of Santa Marta and Varadero, in the province of Matanzas.
Social media quickly flooded with images and videos of a thick column of black smoke rising over the area, causing alarm among residents.
"Large fire near the Varadero toll booth, apparently it's tanks of Cuban crude oil," stated a user in the Facebook group 'Ciudad de Matanzas en fotos', sharing an image of the smoke column.
Other photographs and videos related to the incident were shared in the comments of this post. Meanwhile, independent journalist Alberto Arego echoed the event on his , regarding which -so far- neither the authorities nor state media have commented.
According to testimonies shared by citizens on Facebook, the fire reportedly occurred near the Varadero toll booth and allegedly affected tanks or pipelines of crude extracted from the oil wells in the area.
"It is an oil well located in that area. The cause of the fire is unknown, but what is certain is that it is completely engulfed in flames," a witness stated on social media.
So far, there has been no official information regarding the cause of the incident or reports of possible damages or casualties. However, some residents claim that the fire has already been extinguished. "They already put it out, I live nearby," noted a user on social media.
The images show a dense black smoke visible from various points in the Matanzas territory near Varadero, highlighting the severity of the incident.
Authorities are expected to provide details about what happened and the possible causes of the fire in the coming hours.
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