Gas Line Repair in Havana Leads to Injuries for Five Workers

This afternoon, a fire erupted on Tulipán Street in Havana's Plaza de la Revolución district. The blaze left five workers injured as a crew from the Manufactured Gas Company was repairing a gas line malfunction affecting local residents, according to a report from CUPET.

The injured personnel, all employed by the state-run company, are currently receiving medical care. Fortunately, initial reports indicate that none of the workers are facing life-threatening conditions.

Thanks to the swift response of the Fire Department, the flames were promptly contained, preventing further damage to nearby residential areas.

Investigation into the Fire's Origin Underway

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The company has assured the public that updates regarding the incident and the workers' health status will be provided as they become available.

The incident occurred during routine excavation work with heavy machinery, a common method used for detecting and fixing underground gas pipe issues.

Ongoing Challenges with Havana's Gas Supply

According to the state-run media outlet Cubadebate, both the Manufactured Gas Company and local authorities are closely monitoring the situation. They have committed to keeping the public informed about developments in the case and the factors that led to the accident.

This incident is just one in a series of disruptions to Havana's manufactured gas supply this year. Late in June, a major failure left between 208,000 and 284,000 customers without gas in eight municipalities. In July, a complete shutdown for maintenance affected both production plants.

In August, a malfunction at the Canasí collector center deprived seven of the city's municipalities of gas. Just over a week before this latest fire, partial and complete outages occurred due to insufficient supply following maintenance at the Energas plant in Puerto Escondido.

Infrastructure and Previous Incidents

The Manufactured Gas Company, under the umbrella of CUPET, operates an extensive network of over 851 kilometers of underground pipelines, serving more than 208,000 customers across eight Havana districts. The infrastructure includes two main plants: the over century-old Evelio Rodríguez Curbelo plant No. 1 and plant No. 2 located in Marianao.

Unfortunately, this is not the first time gas-related incidents have resulted in injuries in Cuba. In October 2025, a gas cylinder explosion at a Villa Clara hotel injured three people. Additionally, in June 2024, two workers were hospitalized following a gas leak at a company.