Residents of the Girón building in Havana had been reporting the poor condition of the property for years

Following the fire that occurred on June 22, residents of the Girón building in Havana's Vedado neighborhood recalled their numerous complaints about the poor condition of the property and highlighted the lack of government attention to the dire state of the structures and electrical installations.

Upon learning the results of the investigation into the incident, which determined that a short circuit caused it, the residents of the building expressed their dissatisfaction, as the warning had already been issued but was ignored until it reached a critical point, endangering lives and property.

"Even before the fire, the wiring had issues," confirmed a resident identified as Ana to Martí Noticias. She pointed out the need for a major repair that was supposedly supposed to take place two years ago, but the crew responsible for the work left shortly thereafter "and took all the materials with them."

According to the neighbor, "the short circuit occurred inside the space of one of those rooms... the fire spread from one room to another until it reached the first floor."

The residents of the building, which houses nearly 600 people, revealed that there are electrical issues and leaks in most of the apartments, while "the handrails on the stairs are broken. Everything deteriorates over the years if nothing is ever maintained," they stated.

Now, following the fire, authorities "identified" the reported damages and stated that efforts will be made "as much as possible," according to a report from Cuban state television.

The incident, which occurred last Saturday, prompted an immediate response from the city's firefighters, while regime authorities closely monitored the firefighting efforts. The Municipal Administration Council of Plaza de la Revolución alerted Havana residents through a message on social media.

The day after the incident, the territory's government issued an official statement to detail the situation regarding the property, a text that left several questions open about the management and lack of transparency surrounding this event.

The text highlighted the residents' return to their homes, although it did not provide details about the condition of the premises or the building's safety.

Consisting of two 17-story towers connected by a core of elevators linked to the staircases by horizontal circulation tubes, the building featuring 132 apartments was designed in 1967 by architects Antonio Quintana and Alberto Rodríguez Surribas.