The massive fire that broke out after lightning struck a large crude oil storage tank on August 5 in Matanzas, Cuba, eventually consuming it and three similar tanks in the fuel storage area of the supertanker base, is now under control and in the process of being extinguished completely. The towering inferno was brought under control on the ground and from the air, the front line workers incurring great risks to their own safety and lives.

The Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist) sends an embrace of solidarity to the government and people of Cuba. The Party salutes the herculean efforts of the Cuban people, their leaders and all frontline workers. We salute the governments of Mexico and Venezuela who sent their country's firefighters, pilots and other specialists to lend the courageous Cuban firefighters and frontline workers a hand. Together, under the steady leadership of the president of Cuba and leaders at all levels, with the people of the entire island behind them, along with Cuban residents abroad and the world solidarity movement, a mighty force has come together to bring the fires under control, mourn the dead and fight for the living.

Specialists from Venezuela arrive to assist in fighting the fires.

CPC(M-L) expresses its support to the effort of the Cuban people in whatever capacity it is able to help. It extends its condolences to the families, co-workers and friends of those who perished or went missing in the course of giving their all in doing their duty. It expresses its admiration and support for the people's leaders whose commitment to the people is unsurpassed.

As of Thursday, August 11, Cuba's Ministry of Public Health confirmed the death of two firefighters. Fourteen others are missing and presumed to have died as well. They were working in the vicinity of the second tank to prevent it from also igniting, but were unable to escape when it burst into flames and its contents exploded in the early hours of August 6. On August 11 the people received the information that within the next two days conditions should be in place for rescue/recovery teams to search for their bodies.

A total of 130 persons have received medical attention for injuries since the start of the fire, with 23 people still hospitalized, four of them in critical condition.

The tragedy comes just three months after dealing with the tragedy of the Saratoga Hotel explosion in Havana which claimed 47 lives. To confront such a tragedy which will have even greater devastating consequences with such bravery and conviction shows the mettle of the Cuban people. The fire, of a complex nature and unprecedented magnitude for Cuba, hit right when critical shortages of fuel as a direct result of the criminal U.S. blockade have already been taking a toll on the island and its people, primarily in the form of 12-hour long electricity blackouts in an especially hot summer.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero as well as other government and Communist Party officials have been on the scene of the disaster since the night it occurred, supporting provincial authorities and mobilizing resources from around the country to ensure that all the necessary arrangements are in place and measures are taken to save lives and bring the fire under control as quickly and safely as possible, as well as ensure support has been provided to the over 5,000 people evacuated from neighbourhoods closest to the fuel depot.

President Miguel Díaz-Canel among the firefighters at the tanker base in Matanzas.

People from Matanzas and other parts of Cuba immediately stepped forward to offer whatever assistance they could to the injured and to the family members of those missing as well as to the  firefighters, other emergency workers and those evacuated from their homes. They have been providing food, drink, free transportation and other goods and services, opening their homes to evacuees and donating blood and medicines.

Offers of concrete assistance were also quick to come from the governments of several countries. First to arrive, on the evening of Saturday, August 6, was a planeload of firefighting materials and specialists from the Mexican Petroleum Company (Pemex) and the country's armed forces dispatched by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. They were joined soon after by firefighters and other specialists from Venezuela's state oil company PDVSA sent by President Nicolás Maduro. They also brought foam and chemical substances to suppress the fire and prevent its spread. Since then more than 20 flights have arrived from Mexico and Venezuela with equipment and materials. Mexico has sent two ships of aid as well. A plane bringing aid from Bolivia arrived on August 11. Material and financial aid was also sent by a number of other countries.

Cuban forces, along with PDVSA and PEMEX personnel, use water and foam on the remains of the fourth tank, August 10, 2022.

Speaking on August 10 after it was announced that the fire was under control, President Miguel Díaz-Canel said Cuba's ability to deal with this latest challenge was due to "the heroism, the courage, the solidarity, the commitment and the unity with which it was faced." He expressed confidence that "we will continue moving forward," ratifying what he said earlier in the week about the will and capacity to achieve victory in the face of adversity being a characteristic that distinguished the Cuban people. The history of the Revolution has shown this time and time again and will continue to do so.

Canadians are organizing fund-raising and solidarity actions to raise funds to send whatever medical and other supplies and equipment are needed at this time to save lives, help the survivors recover and to overcome the many adverse consequences of the fire, compounded by the vile economic war the U.S. continues to wage against the Cuban people.

All Out to Support the Cuban People in Their Hour of Need!
Fuerza! Cuba! Matanzas!

In Toronto, members of the Association of Cubans Resident in Canada and friends of Cuba prepare shipments of medical supplies to assist disaster relief efforts in Matanzas, August 9, 2022.

Fundraising for Cuba

The Juan Gualberto Gómez Association of Cubans Resident in Toronto, a member of the Canadian Network on Cuba, which has been raising funds and sending medical supplies to Cuba throughout the pandemic is currently raising funds to purchase and send medical and other supplies needed in the wake of the Matanzas fire to Cuba. To donate:

E-transfer funds to asociacion.jgg@gmail.com

or

Make out a cheque to Association of Cubans in Toronto and mail to:

Julio Fonseca
705 King Street West # 1706
Toronto, ON
M5V 2W8

Ottawa
Fundraising Dinner to Send Medical Supplies to Cuba
August 25 -- 7:00 pm
Happy Goat, 35 Laurel St
Organized by: Ottawa Cuba Connections, Association d'amitié Outaouais-Cuba

Upon hearing of the Matanzas fuel-fires in Cuba, Ottawa-Cuba Connections donated $1,000 towards medical supplies, half of which was sent to Canada Network on Cuba, and the other half to CUBANOSxCUBA. The August 25 fund-raising dinner is part of a national effort to raise funds to send medical and other types of supplies and equipment the Cuban government indicates are needed to save lives, help the survivors recover and overcome all the other adverse consequences of the fire.

Cheques can be sent to C. Taylor, 166 Hopewell Ave., K1S 2Z5. A direct deposit can be made at ottawacubaconnections@gmail.com.

Quebec

The Table de concertation de solidarité Québec-Cuba, in coordination with other committees in Quebec and Canada, is organizing a fundraising to support and help Cuba. In the past, in response to COVID, the Table had created a fund dedicated to Cuba's medical needs and sent medical equipment to Cuba. Following the tragedy in Matanzas, the Table is now collecting donations for the present emergency in coordination with the Cuban authorities. There are two ways to make a donation:

(1) INTERAC transfer, to the email sylvain.archambault1@hotmail.com (Sylvain Archambault is treasurer of the Table); the code word is Cuba.

(2) By check to the order of the Table de Concertation de Solidarité Québec-Cuba, to be mailed to the following address:

Table de concertation de solidarité Québec-Cuba
In care of Sylvain Archambault, treasurer
10852 Ste-Gertrude Boulevard
Montreal-North (Quebec) H1G 5N6