A strong explosion followed by a large-scale fire shook the facilities of the industrial workshop T-22 of the company Azutecnia, connected to the Cuban sugar sector, in the city of Manzanillo, province of Granma.
The incident resulted in a preliminary tally of two injured individuals, who were taken to the Celia Sánchez Manduley Provincial Hospital, the primary healthcare facility in Manzanillo, as confirmed on Facebook by the official communicator Baldo Alexy Blanco González, who also reported the presence of the highest political and governmental authorities from Granma and the municipality in the affected area.
The images shared on social media show large flames illuminating the night sky, a dense column of black smoke, and emergency vehicles in the vicinity of the facility.
A large deployment of firefighters worked to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to other areas of the site, according to independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada on his page Súbelo Mayeta.
Local sources indicated that a fuel pump located within the facility might be involved in the origin of the incident, although by the time the initial reports were concluded, it had not been possible to confirm that information or determine the exact causes of the explosion.
The T-22 is a facility historically dedicated to the repair and recovery of equipment and machinery in the sugar industry in Granma, a sector currently facing a profound structural crisis characterized by outdated machinery, fuel shortages, and lack of investment.
Fires at Cuban industrial facilities have occurred with concerning frequency in recent years.
In September 2026, six workers were injured while conducting gas repair work for CUPET in Havana.
In October 2025, firefighters extinguished a fire at an old distillery in Guantánamo that impacted a fuel storage facility for the sugar industry.
The news was initially reported as "developing," and the causes of the incident in Manzanillo remained officially unconfirmed at the time of the first reports.
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