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A fire broke out at a key fuel refinery in the Cuban capital, Havana, on February 13, as the country struggles under an oil blockade imposed by the United States.
The fire occurred not far from where two oil tankers were moored. Two Mexican navy ships arrived at the same harbor earlier in the week with more than 800 tons of much-needed humanitarian aid.
Vicente de la O Levy, the country’s ministry of energy and mines, said on X that the fire, which broke out in one of the refinery’s warehouses, had been brought under control. There were no injuries and the fire did not spread to nearby areas, according to the minister.
“The cause is under investigation,” he wrote. “The workday at the Nico Lopez Refinery continues with complete normalcy.”
Cuba can only produce about one-third of its total fuel requirements. The country lost its main oil supply line when U.S. President Trump last month ordered the capture of Nicolas Maduro, the long-term leader of Cuban ally Venezuela. More than 30 Cuban troops who were guarding Maduro were killed in the special operation.
Since then, Trump has vowed to starve the communist-ruled nation of oil, going as far as threatening tariffs for any other country stepping in with crude supplies.
The refinery fire came as the country began implementing emergency measures to conserve Cuba’s fast-dwindling fuel stocks. Universities were closed, school hours and the work week were reduced, and public transport was restricted. Even staffing at hospitals was also cut back.
In addition to its efforts to tighten the oil embargo ongoing since 1962, a report by The Wall Street Journal from last month revealed that the Trump administration is looking for Cuban government insiders who might help negotiate an end to Communist rule in the country before the end of the year.
More recently, four Cuban American members of Congress wrote to President Trump calling for the indictment of Raul Castro, brother of Cuba’s late leader Fidel Castro, for allegedly ordering the 1996 downing of a plane that was dropping supplies to people who were fleeing to the U.S. on rafts, according to Axios.
There is no doubt that Cuba is right now at the crosshairs of the Trump administration, and taking this into account, it won’t be surprising if the last fire was the result of some act of espionage.
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