The fire in a bicitaxi battery disrupted traffic on Thursday at the roundabout near Ciego de Ávila airport, according to Facebook user Liudanis Alarcón Alarcón, who shared a video of the moment the device was ablaze in the middle of the avenue.
The images show a line of vehicles halted, waiting for the fire to be extinguished, with no sound of fire truck sirens responding to the blaze and no information about the causes that triggered the fire.
Fires involving batteries from motorcycles, cars, and bicitaxis are becoming increasingly common in Cuba. Earlier this month in November, the battery of a car exploded inside a home at the intersection of Trinidad and Reloj streets in Santiago de Cuba. In this case, the fire prompted a swift response from the firefighters, who were able to control the blaze without any injuries reported.
Just three days ago, another fire broke out in an apartment in the Olivos neighborhood of Sancti Spíritus while the owners were out of the house.
The most common explosions are those from scooter batteries. Last September, a fire caused by the explosion of an electric motorcycle in the Lawton neighborhood of Havana completely destroyed a workshop and part of a residence.
Last October, amid the massive blackout that hit the Island, an apartment caught fire in the 23 Alamar area of Havana after the family living there attempted to cook with firewood due to the lack of electricity.
Fires involving electric motorcycles have caused significant losses of property and resources in the country, as was the case of the incident reported in Santa Clara, where the explosion of a battery from a charging scooter engulfed a garage in flames within minutes, leaving a charred Lada car.
In any case, the most serious fire recorded in Cuba was at the Matanzas Supertanker Base, which occurred on August 5, 2022, caused by a lightning strike on a 40,000-gallon fuel tank. The incident resulted in 17 fatalities and the material damage is part of the reason for the massive blackout this October, as the regime has been unable to recover the logistical reserves it had over the past two years.
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