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The swift reaction of the neighbors prevented a tragedy this Monday in Colón, Matanzas, when a fire that broke out at 5:45 PM on Céspedes Street #257 trapped inside a man just over 60 years old and an 85-year-old elderly woman who was bedridden.
According to the Head of the Disaster Risk Reduction Management Center of Colón, Raisdel Naya, the specialists from the Fire Department determined that the cause of the incident "was due to the overload of the lithium battery of a motorbike."
"Thanks to the promptness of the neighbors, they were able to leave the residence without issues," Naya specified in her official report, noting that neither of the two occupants suffered injuries and that both are being assisted at a family member's home.
The fire, rated as medium size, was extinguished at 7:25 PM, after approximately an hour and forty minutes of efforts.
The forces involved included the local residents, the president of the People's Council Adelisa Rivero Quintana, two vehicles from the Fire Department Command with their full crew, a water truck from the private sector, two members of the Red Cross, and officials from the Ministry of the Interior.
One element that may have dramatically intensified the incident was the discovery of gas cylinders and oxygen tanks inside the home, which were "not initially reported upon arriving at the scene," as Naya pointed out.
"Thanks to the promptness and professionalism with which the fire department worked, the damages were not greater," emphasized the official in the presence of those high-risk materials.
The structural damage affected the kitchen, the bedrooms, the living room, the ceiling, windows, the exterior door of the kitchen, the electrical system, and the plumbing network.
Among the lost material goods are an electric stove, a gas burner, a refrigerator, two coolers, three scooters, a gasoline engine, beds, a mattress, a DVD player, and furniture.
The case adds to a national trend that has accumulated hundreds of fires related to lithium batteries in electric motorcycles since 2019.
The proliferation of electric scooters as an alternative mode of transport amid the fuel crisis has increased the risk, especially in a context of frequent blackouts and unstable voltage that contributes to overloads.
In July 2025, an explosion of motorbike batteries in Camagüey while restoring the electrical supply after a blackout resulted in the death of at least one person.
In October 2025, a family in Jobabo, Las Tunas, lost all their belongings in the third fire of the year in that area caused by the battery of a motorbike.
Other similar incidents have been reported in Holguín and in Mayarí, where firefighters and neighbors also prevented a catastrophe under similar circumstances.
The most common causes of these incidents are battery overload, the use of non-original chargers, informal repairs, and unstable electrical voltage, all of which are exacerbated by the structural crisis currently facing Cuba.
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