Details of the fire at the Saturnino Lora Hospital in Santiago de Cuba

A explosion and fire shook the intermediate care room of Neurology at the Saturnino Lora Torres Provincial Hospital, the most important health center in Santiago de Cuba, and forced the evacuation of 12 patients amidst an institutional secrecy that could not contain the information.

According to testimonies gathered by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, the incident began in the technical room where the air conditioning system of the hall is located.

First, an intense smell similar to ammonia was detected, followed by an electric spark. When attempting to control the situation, hospital personnel reportedly used a liquid extinguisher instead of a foam one, which caused a short circuit and led to an explosion that blew off the door and damaged the glassware in the area.

A nurse from the hospital confirmed that the source of the fire was the compressor of an air conditioning unit: "It was the compressor of an air conditioning unit that caught fire, but there were no serious consequences. The patients were evacuated immediately."

The affected room housed intermediate therapy patients as well as intensive therapy patients, the latter experiencing leaks from the floor above.

Of the 12 patients evacuated, four were transferred to other facilities via ambulances from the Integrated Medical Emergency System (SIUM) and motorized patrols, while eight were relocated to other critical care rooms within the same hospital. Several of them were urgently referred to the Juan Bruno Zayas Clinical Surgical Hospital.

What followed the incident was chaos and enforced silence. At the time of writing her report, Mayeta Labrada noted that anonymous sources informed her that "they are not allowing patients or family members to leave other cubicles."

Several fire departments, as well as senior officials from the Communist Party and Public Health in the province, arrived at the scene of the incident.

The journalist clarified that his information is based exclusively on testimonies from sources and family members within the hospital, as there was still no official confirmation from the authorities at that time.