The Cuban Fire Department reiterated its warning about the risks of storing fuel in plastic IBC tanks, following the powerful fire that occurred at the T-22 Workshop of the Azutecnia Company in Manzanillo, Granma province, on Sunday, October 11th.
The message was disseminated through the MININT Hoy page on Facebook and emphasizes that the images of the incident "demonstrate the danger" associated with using these containers to store fuel.
Among the recommendations reiterated by the Fire Department this Tuesday are: having authorization to store, transport, and sell fuel; using approved, well-sealed metal containers; keeping premises ventilated and away from heat sources; prohibiting smoking or creating sparks nearby; and ensuring the presence of fire extinguishers.
The institution also urged the public to "maintain popular oversight and report in communities where such violations exist," and closed its message with a direct warning: "If we prevent regrettable incidents, we avoid the loss of human lives and materials."
The fire in Manzanillo left five injured individuals, two of whom are hospitalized in critical and serious condition, respectively.
Hermes Soria Romero, 47 years old, remained in critical condition with burns covering 31% of his body surface, while Luis Roberto Tamayo Cedeño, 36 years old, was in serious condition with burns on 16% of his body; however, both were clinically stable and able to communicate, according to the update on the status of the injured released this Monday.
Three other workers—Pedro Manuel Depara Ramos, 22 years old; Blas Sosa Vázquez, 66; and Ernesto Espinosa Leyva, 59—were discharged from medical care and will remain under observation.
The definitive causes of the incident have not been officially confirmed, although local sources mentioned the possible involvement of a fuel bomb at the time the container was opened.
The alert from the Fire Department is not an isolated occurrence: it is part of a chain of warnings that intensified since August 2026, when specialists detected in Guantánamo serious violations in fuel management by private businesses, including the use of plastic containers to store large quantities of fuel and deficiencies such as the lack of containment walls and grounding systems.
In early September, Aris Arias Batalla, provincial vice president of the Volunteer Firefighters Association in Santiago de Cuba, warned that storing fuel in homes could turn entire neighborhoods into a "ticking time bomb."
On September 29, the Fire Department issued a specific national alert regarding plastic IBC tanks of approximately 1,000 liters, recommending their replacement with approved metal containers.
The background of this situation is the Cuban energy crisis, which since 2026 has driven the opening up of fuel imports and private commercialization, leading to the widespread use of plastic IBC tanks among small and medium-sized enterprises and private businesses, some of which lack the necessary safety infrastructure.
The most serious precedent for fire incidents at fuel facilities in Cuba remains the tragedy at the Matanzas Supertankers Base, which occurred in August 2022, resulting in 17 deaths and over 130 injuries with estimated losses of around 66 million dollars.
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