A motorcycle with a sidecar was completely destroyed by flames in a fierce fire that occurred this Monday in a central area of Santiago de Cuba, with no reported casualties.
Photos and videos shared by communicator Yosmany Mayeta Labrada documented the fire that broke out at the intersection of Hernán Cortés and Escario streets in the center of the eastern city, for reasons that are still unknown.
The incident interrupted traffic on the street for several minutes and was eventually extinguished by the firefighters. Only the metal frame of the motorcycle remained.
“The real reasons for the fire are still unknown,” wrote the Cuban communicator based in the U.S., who expressed gratitude for the community's assistance in reporting the incident.
Motorcycle fires, especially involving the so-called motorinas, which are widely used by Cubans, have unfortunately become very common in the country.
More than 300 electric motorcycles caught fire in the first half of 2023—an average of 1.67 incidents per day—according to statistics from the National Fire Department. This same entity recorded over 3,000 incidents extinguished by firefighters between 2019 and mid-last year.
The fires involving motorbikes have left a trail of death and mourning in numerous Cuban families.
In the middle of this year, a couple and their nine-year-old son died as a result of a fire that erupted in their home due to the explosion of a lithium battery from a scooter. The older daughters were seriously injured.
Just a few days earlier, another family had lost their lives in an accident for the same reasons in Playa, Havana.
In June 2023, seven members of a family living in Centro Habana, including two children, died inside their home after several electric scooters exploded, igniting a fierce fire.
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