Cuba brings oil depot fire under control after five-day blaze

Firefighters and specialists from Mexico and Venezuela helped fight the blaze in Matanzas using boats, planes and helicopters.

Firefighters have finally overcome what officials described as the worst fire in Cuba’s history that blazed over five days and destroyed 40 percent of the Caribbean island’s main fuel storage facility and caused enormous power outages.

Matanzas is Cuba’s largest port for receiving crude oil and fuel imports. Oil and diesel stored in 10 huge tanks at the port are mainly used to generate electricity on the island.

Rolando Vecino, the head of transport for the Cuban interior ministry, said on state-run television on Tuesday afternoon that firefighters had “managed to control the fire” .

Al Jazeera’s correspondent Ed Augustin said raging flames that had ravaged a four-tank segment of the Matanzas super tanker port had died down and the towering plumes of thick black smoke streaming from the port were now mostly grey.