On 14 December 2021, a fuel tank truck exploded in the Samari neighborhood of Cap-Haïtien,[1] the capital city of the Haitian department of Nord.

[2][3] Haiti, hit with an economic crisis worsened by an earthquake four months earlier, was unable to adequately treat victims of the explosion, with hospitals undersupplied and in disarray.

Economic and political crises were compounded by the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, and the 2021 Haiti earthquake which caused 2,248 deaths and US$1.5 billion in damage, and an unstable electrical grid that left hospitals, schools, and businesses dependent on gasoline generators.

[6][7] In November 2021, G9 gang leader Jimmy Chérizier announced that fuel trucks would temporarily be allowed back into Port-au-Prince.

[2] Firefighters were dispatched to the area, but due to water shortages had to call in aid from airport fire services.