A large-scale fire kept the residents of building B-53 in the José Martí district of Santiago de Cuba on edge for several hours during the early hours of this Monday.
The incident triggered a large operation by the Fire Department, with the support of police patrols, after residents reported the burning of a significant amount of objects, debris, and items that the apartment owners had collected from trash bins and stored in the home for months.
According to independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta, reported on Facebook, the fire started when the waste - among which there were flammable materials, such as tires - began to burn.
Fear gripped the residents due to the risk of spread to other apartments in a densely populated building.
Fire crews worked at the scene for hours under limited visibility, implementing containment, cooling, and structural assessment measures to prevent the flames from spreading.
Police patrols maintained the perimeter with emergency lights flashing, while neighbors watched the operation from the surrounding area.
The incident did not cause any casualties or injuries.
It was later confirmed that the person living in the house and their mother were evacuated by ambulance to a healthcare center in the municipality.
Garbage, complaints... and nothing
Mayeta shared a video recorded by a neighbor during the extinguishing of the fire.
The recording says: "It's not going out yet, the fire is out of control. And the police have already started to suppress those who are filming."
The material demonstrates the tension of the moment and the difficulty in controlling a fire fueled by large volumes of combustible materials.
Neighbors assert that the situation has been reported repeatedly.
The accumulation of waste, they report, even spread to a nearby medical office, worsening the poor hygiene situation in the community.
Unextinguished fire
After several hours of work, the firefighters were able to extinguish the flames. However, this morning it was necessary to reactivate the operation.
Fire Department units returned to the apartment-dump after smoke was detected again, indicating that the fire had not been completely extinguished.
The reappearance of smoke forced a resumption of efforts to prevent a possible reignition and the resulting danger to the families of the building and nearby areas.
Possible cause of the accident
According to the information gathered on the scene, the fire is believed to have started after the apartment owners set fire to a large amount of accumulated waste and objects during the night.
The enormous load of flammable materials explains the complexity of the incident and the persistence of hot spots despite the initial hours of work.
Authorities are keeping the area under surveillance, with ongoing cooling actions and inspections to rule out new active points.
The case is still unfolding, and details regarding material damage, the precise causes of the fire, and potential responsibilities in the incident are expected to emerge in the coming hours.
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