IMPORTANT: Fire extinguished in crude oil tank at CTE Antonio Guiteras.

A fire occurred in one of the fuel tanks of Termoeléctrica Antonio Guiteras de Matanzas, this tank is of smaller capacity than the ones that caught fire during the incident at the Supertanqueros base and is located within the power plant area.

These images show how the fire at the Antonio Guiteras CTE tank has been extinguished.

An immense layer of foam covers the place.

Specialized personnel, firefighters and authorities of the province and the country are still at the CTE. No loss of human lives has been reported, according to the official Facebook page of the largest unitary bloc in the country.

Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant will not stop generating electricity.

On the verge of being certified as extinguished, fire reported this morning in a tank of 10 thousand cubic meters of Cuban crude oil, which feeds, together with another one in operation, the Antonio Guiteras Thermal Power Plant in Matanzas.

A fire took place in one of the  fuel tanks of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant.

A fire occurred in one of the fuel tanks of the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant in Matanzas, the tank is of smaller capacity than those that caught fire during the incident at the Supertanqueros base and is located within the area of the power plant.

Fire at «Guiteras» is considered of operational complexity

Major Ernesto Torres, chief of operations of the Fire Department of Matanzas, described the fire at the Antonio Guiteras thermal power plant as complex.

«The ignited tank had a considerable amount of crude oil with a level of impurities, gases, which makes the extinguishing work more complex. The firefighters, forces of the power plant, the government and the Civil Defense are working in the place», he said.

The chief of operations of the Matanzas Fire Brigade considered the fire to be of operational complexity and therefore it takes time and strategy to extinguish it.

The cooling system of the tank is working, which represents a favorable condition for the work of the fire department, said Major Ernesto Torres.

The firemen of Matanzas are working with different means and techniques, together with other firefighters of the territory.

«With the means we have, we consider that we will be able to extinguish the tank in a time that we cannot estimate yet», he argued.

Combined firefighting troopsare working to extinguish the fire.

Combined firefighting troops are working on the control and reduction of the fire reported at the end of this morning in one of the national oil tanks that feeds the Antonio Guiteras thermal power plant in Matanzas.

In conversation with Mario Sabines Lorenzo, first secretary of the Party here, present at the scene of the incident, it was learned that no human damages were reported and the possible areas of propagation of the fire towards similar deposits located in the vicinity of the generating unit are being fought.

Sabines Lorenzo confirmed that the Antonio Guiteras thermal power plant remains on line, without the extinguishing work affecting the generation of electricity.

At this moment, according to specialists, the burned tank is being treated with chemical products, already under control, and the spread to other nearby tanks is being prevented.

Now they are working on the eradication of the fire in the fuel base that feeds the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric power plant, the number one command of the city of Yumurina, together with the one located in the industrial zone and with the support of forces from the province of Mayabeque.

Statements by the director of Termoeléctrica Antonio Guiteras

We are facing a fire in one of the two tanks for the supply inside the plant and the operation of our block, we are investigating the causes, said to the press engineer Rubén Campos Olmos, general director of CTE Antonio Guiteras.

When the fire occurred we were in the process of repairing the ladder of that tank, which is necessary to be able to access the tank, and this fire occurred.

As we know, domestic crude oil is very volatile and any situation can ignite this fuel. We had a high level, which favored us, because the amount of gases is lower.

We are currently injecting foam from the thermoelectric station and the fire department is joining in the task.

From the very first moment, the cooling of the tank began as planned and we consider that the fire is being mitigated at this moment.

The thermoelectric plant was working with both tanks and when the fire broke out, the affected tank was cut off. Both tanks have a cooling system.

Up to this minute we have no injuries to report and the Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Power Plant is still working.

Update on the fire at CTE Antonio Guiteras

As reported by CTE Antonio Guiteras on its Facebook page, the fire in one of its fuel tanks of 10 thousand cubic meters of domestic crude oil is being controlled by firefighters and thanks to the operation of its firefighting system, all protective measures are in place, whether foam, surrounding tanks are cooled and sand trucks create a retaining wall in case of spill, also were evacuated most of its workers and others are in place to provide the necessary assistance.

The highest authorities of the province are on site.

Fire reported in fuel tank at Termoeléctrica Antonio Guiteras (+audio)

A fire occurred in one of the fuel tanks of the Antonio Guiteras de Matanzas Thermoelectric Power Plant in Matanzas, said tank is of smaller capacity than the ones that caught fire during the incident at the Supertanqueros base and is located inside the power plant area.

According to preliminary investigations, although nothing is definite, since it is necessary to wait until the flames are completely extinguished to carry out the pertinent investigations, it may be the result of maintenance works that were being carried out in the area.

Firefighting forces are already on site fighting the fire.

The Antonio Guiteras Thermoelectric Plant remains on line and generating 260 MW. Efforts are being made to quell the fire without interrupting power generation, although this depends on the evolution of the fire.

The following is an audio of journalist Sergio López, who was at the scene of the accident and had live communication with Radio 26’s magazine Frecuencia Abierta.

…ONLINE AUDIO

News in development with additional information from journalists Sergio López and José Miguel Solís and CTE Guiteras.

📷 Félix González and Pedro Rizo