The official Cuban News Agency said the lightning strike set one tank on fire and the blaze later spread to a second tank.
The accident comes as Cuba struggles with fuel shortages. There was no immediate word on how much oil had burned or was in danger at the tank farm, which stores oil used to fuel electricity production.
Officials at Faustino Perez Hospital reported 52 injured, according to the provincial government’s Facebook page. The hospital’s director, Dr. Taymi Martínez, said one person was in extremely critical condition, three patients were in critical condition and 10 in serious conditions.
“I was in the gym when I felt the first explosion. A column of smoke and terrible fire rose through the skies,” resident Adiel Gonzalez told The Associated Press by phone. “The city has a strong smell of sulfur.”
Authorities said the Dubrocq neighborhood closest to the fire was evacuated, while Gonzalez added that some people decided to leave the Versailles district, which is a little farther from the tank farm.
There were many ambulances, police and fire engines, he said.
Matanzas, which has about 140,000 inhabitants, is 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Havana, on Matnzas Bay.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel traveled to the area of the fire early Saturday, officials said.
Andrea Rodríguez on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ARodriguezAP
