Overview
- A tanker blew up at an LP gas storage site in the San Juan Negrete neighborhood of Tepeaca on Thursday morning, producing a large mushroom-shaped fireball that was captured on social media.
- Videos showed crowds running and thick black smoke rising, and authorities and local media published footage that shaped early reporting of the event.
- Puebla Civil Protection said roughly 2,000 people were evacuated from a nearby hospital, schools and homes as a precaution while emergency crews worked to contain the blaze.
- Multiple outlets and social posts say the tanker was allegedly carrying stolen or smuggled fuel, but officials have not confirmed the cargo and an investigation has been opened.
- Casualty figures remain unverified, with some social-media reports of injuries but no official confirmation, and investigators are assessing damage, causes and safety risks at the site.