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The 10 de Octubre Clinical Surgical Teaching Hospital reported that on the morning of this Wednesday, an "accidental" fire occurred in the green area of the medical institution.
According to the hospital's report on social media, the incident occurred shortly after 11:00 am, in the perimeter area adjacent to Agua Dulce Street, allegedly caused by a cigarette butt thrown by an unknown person.
The fire was controlled in less than 15 minutes, they said, by a "human chain" made up of hospital workers, nurses, doctors, managers, technicians, and service staff.
According to the provided information, the area was being cleared when the fire started.
The neighboring school evacuated students and staff during the incident. The hospital resumed its usual operations and the school returned to its activities.
According to the official report, the area where the flames originated was being cleared as part of the regular procedures for cleaning the green areas of the hospital.
After the containment of the fire and the normalization of the immediate environment, the hospital reported that it is operating normally.
No prolonged impacts were reported in the healthcare areas nor any suspensions beyond the preventive measures taken while addressing the emergency.
Several fires have erupted in Havana in recent months. In August, residents of Centro Habana set fire to the garbage dump as a desperate measure in response to the state's inaction in collecting the accumulated waste.
Fire authorities have issued warnings about the increasing risk of fires in urban dumpsites and have urged for preventive measures to be taken. However, the lack of effective action by the government and inadequate waste collection have perpetuated the problem.
In July, another fire in Centro Habana was caused by a minor who was handling a match. Fortunately, there were no human casualties, but material damages were recorded in three rooms of the affected building.
The municipal authorities conducted an assessment of the damages incurred by each affected family and ensured that they were attended to in a timely manner. The quick response of the firefighters minimized the damage caused by the fire.
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