The authorities said about 800 people were evacuated from the Dubrocq neighbourhood closest to the fire.

 

Cuba's government said it had asked for help from international experts in “friendly countries” with experience in the oil sector.

 

Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio said the US government had offered technical help to quell the blaze. On his Twitter account, he said the “proposal is in the hands of specialists for the due co-ordination”.

 

Minutes later, President Miguel Diaz-Canel thanked Mexico, Venezuela, Russia, Nicaragua, Argentina and Chile for their offers of help. A support flight from Mexico arrived on Saturday night.

 

The official Cuban News Agency said lightning hit one tank, starting a fire, and the blaze later spread to a second tank.

 

Military helicopters dropped water on the blaze as a dense column of black smoke billowed from the facility and spread westward more than 100 kilometres towards Havana.

 

Roberto de la Torre, head of fire operations in Matanzas, said firefighters were spraying water on intact tanks trying to keep them cool in hopes of preventing the fire from spreading.