TEPEACA, PUEBLA — A massive explosion at an LP gas storage site in the community of San Juan Negrete has left three people injured and forced the emergency evacuation of approximately 2,000 residents, schoolchildren, and hospital patients.

The disaster, which occurred on Thursday morning, June 4, 2026, unleashed a colossal fireball and a dense column of black smoke that could be seen across the municipality, triggering a multi-agency emergency response to contain the volatile inferno.

The incident began around 10:00 AM local time inside a warehouse property used for storing liquefied petroleum (LP) gas. According to preliminary reports from Puebla's Civil Protection authority, a series of rapid-fire detonations occurred when four large LP gas tanks exploded.

The initial blasts immediately compromised and ignited four tanker trucks parked at the storage facility, turning the property into a raging fuel fire.

Videos captured by alarmed residents and shared widely on social media showed a towering wall of flame erupting into the sky, forcing terrified schoolchildren and nearby residents to flee the immediate vicinity.

Due to the extreme risk of secondary explosions and the intense thermal radiation radiating from the warehouse, local authorities acted swiftly to establish a wide security perimeter.

"Approximately 2,000 people were evacuated from a local hospital, schools, and neighboring homes as a strictly preventive measure," confirmed Bernabé López Santos, the state coordinator for Civil Protection.

Puebla Governor Alejandro Armenta confirmed a preliminary toll of three individuals injured in the blast. The victims sustained varying degrees of injuries and were rushed by emergency personnel to regional hospitals in Acajete, Tepetzala, and Tecamachalco for urgent medical treatment. Fortunately, no fatalities have been reported.

The scale of the blaze required a massive mobilization of emergency services. More than 50 securities, firefighting, and civil protection personnel from all three levels of government descended on San Juan Negrete.

Firefighters from neighboring municipalities, including Tecamachalco and Acatzingo, rushed to the scene with additional water tankers to aid local crews in battling the stubborn flames, which took hours to fully bring under control.

As the physical danger subsides, state and federal authorities are turning their attention to the origin of the facility. Due to the clandestine nature of the storage site and the presence of multiple unmarked tanker trucks, investigators are strongly looking into whether the operation was tied to illegal fuel bunkering and illegal gas siphoning—locally known as huachicol.

Governor Armenta announced that he is formally requesting the intervention of the federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) to work alongside state prosecutors to conduct an exhaustive investigation, promising that those responsible for operating the hazardous illegal site will face the full weight of the law.