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In the midst of the fire that shook the night on Tuesday at the Provincial Hospital Dr. Gustavo Aldereguía Lima de Cienfuegos, a doctor took charge with a phrase that is already echoing through the corridors of the facility: "No one is leaving here; this baby is being born".
It was 9:15 PM on April 14 when Annia Marielis Seguí Dueñas, a first-time mother, began her labor while smoke from the fire seeped through the hospital hallways and the electricity was compromised, reported the state-run newspaper 5 de Septiembre.
The medical team transferred her to the Code Red area of the center. There, the doctor identified as Lisbet took control of the situation and ordered that no one leave the place.
"It was crazy," said Annia Marielis to the newspaper 5 de Septiembre, her eyes still sparkling. "No one let go of their courage."
At that time, weighing eight pounds, Liz Alejandra was born. Her mother describes her as "a beauty" and "a warrior."
The nurses at the hospital gave her a nickname that is already circulating among the halls: "La Candelita", because she was born among candles, but also —they say— because she has the bright light of someone who comes to ignite everything.
Moved by Dr. Lisbet's dedication, Annia Marielis decided to add her name to that of the baby: Liz Alejandra, as a symbol of gratitude.
The father of the newborn still takes a deep breath every time he recalls it. "It was an eternity in minutes," he stated.
The fire had originated around 9:00 PM in the basement of the second floor of the hospital, between the Intensive Care Unit and the psychiatric ward. The Fire Department was able to extinguish the flames in about twenty minutes, with no loss of life or injuries.
The fire affected the emergency electrical circuit and compromised vital services: the delivery area, pre-labor, neonatology, the intensive care units, and the compressors.
At that moment, there were 311 hospitalized patients, more than 12 of whom were in critical condition, eight of them on mechanical ventilation.
The chronic electrical deterioration of Cuban hospitals is behind these incidents.
Just four days earlier, the Saturnino Lora Torres Hospital in Santiago de Cuba suffered a fire caused by the overheating of an air conditioning compressor after a voltage spike, which necessitated the evacuation of 12 patients.
In September 2025, the Amalia Simoni Hospital in Camagüey also reported a fire in its power plant due to an overload in the transformer, resulting in the evacuation of three critically ill patients.
Mother and daughter are evolving excellently. "I just want her to be okay," Annia Marielis thought during the most tense moments of the delivery. And that's exactly what happened.
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