The explosion of a motorbike in a home in Santiago de Cuba this Wednesday caused a fire, and although the residents called for help right away, the firefighters took at least 30 minutes to arrive.
Journalist Yosmany Mayeta reported on Facebook that the incident occurred at 2:00 PM, in Pedrera, between 6 and 7, within the Flores neighborhood.
A neighbor from the neighborhood criticized the delay of the firefighters: "They took a long time, and the ones who arrived first were the farthest away. If it had been something worse, we might not be recounting what happened."
The complainant mentioned Command #4, stating that it is one of the fire departments farthest from the site of the incident. "They were able to open and control the fire that had already consumed the motorcycle," she noted.
One of the residents of the house where the fire occurred recounted that they were sitting on the porch when they heard the noise caused by the explosion.
"We felt an explosion coming from the garage and ran out into the street because flames started to erupt," she said.
He reported that the neighbors carried the young children while throwing water. However, he explained that they could not reach the fire because it was inside the garage, which opened from the inside.
The owner of the scooter explained to journalist Mayeta that only her vehicle exploded, and not two, as was rumored, thereby refuting the version that included her brother-in-law's scooter.
"It wasn't plugged in, and there was also no electricity at that time," she emphasized.
"This scare, from which I am still recovering, serves as a lesson for me; I won't have another device like this in my home, and I thank God that we are alive," he said.
Incidents caused by the burning of motorbikes are common in Cuba.
In June, a couple and their 21-year-old son died in Havana after a fire broke out in their home, allegedly caused by the explosion of an electric motorcycle.
Witnesses of the incident reported that Fire Department Command Number 8, located less than a kilometer from the site of the fire, took 45 minutes to arrive and extinguish the blaze.
Last Saturday, at least four motorcycles parked in a private garage in the Micro 9 neighborhood of the José Martí District in Santiago de Cuba were burned after a fire broke out in one of them and spread to the nearby ones.
Independent journalist Mayeta reported on social media that the garage was primarily used for parking electric motorcycles.
Filed under: