Havana (AFP) – The fire that broke out this Friday at the Havana oil refinery is under control and its causes "are being investigated," the government reported.

First modification: 02/13/2026 - 23:15

"Controlled fire that occurred this afternoon in one of the warehouses located in the 'Ñico López' Refinery," said the Ministry of Energy and Mines in X. "The causes are being investigated," it stated.

The fire, which occurred very close to the place where two oil tankers were anchored, generated large flames and a column of black smoke visible from the other side of the Havana Bay channel, AFP journalists confirmed.

The two Mexican Navy ships that transported more than 800 tons of humanitarian aid to the island, mired in a deep economic crisis aggravated by pressure from Washington, docked in the same bay on Thursday.

Cuba faces a very serious energy crisis after the end of oil supplies from Venezuela after the fall of Nicolás Maduro and Washington's threats to impose tariffs on countries that sell it oil.

To save energy, the communist government put into effect on Monday an emergency plan that includes, among other measures, restrictions on fuel sales and a four-day work day (Monday to Thursday).

In August 2022, a lightning strike caused a raging fire at the Matanzas supertanker base, 100 km east of Havana, which left 16 dead, mostly firefighters fighting the fire.

That fire destroyed four of the eight tanks at the Matanzas depot, the most important in the country, with the capacity to store 52 million liters of fuel, and could only be put out a week later with technical and human help from Mexico and Venezuela.

© 2026 AFP

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