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An electric motorbike exploded this Tuesday in the yard of a house located on Avenida de Cárdenas, in the municipality of Banes, Holguín province, igniting a fire that mobilized the Fire Department around noon, as reported by Radio Banes.
Local residents alerted the firefighters, who responded quickly and managed to control the situation in just a few minutes.
No injuries were reported, although the vehicle was completely destroyed.
The images of the incident show the motorcycle completely charred, with only the metal chassis and front wheel recognizable, while personnel identified by the inscription "BOMBEROS CUBA" on their uniforms were applying water to the charred debris.
The structure of the courtyard where the explosion occurred —with a metal sheet roof and corrugated sheet walls— was severely damaged and blackened by the fire.
Local authorities went to the site to provide support to those affected.
The incident in Banes adds to an alarming pattern of fires caused by electric motorcycle explosions throughout Cuba. Just nine days earlier, an electric motorcycle caught fire in Havana while charging after a blackout, attributed to voltage fluctuations and thermal leaks in the battery.
In Villa Clara, between January and October 2025, there were 32 fires caused by electric motorcycles, with estimated material losses of 95 million Cuban pesos, according to data from the Fire Department of that province released by the Cuban News Agency. Out of these incidents, 20 occurred within homes, 10 on public roads, and two in state institutions.
In the province of Holguín, similar fires in homes were reported in July and October 2025.
The most serious case nationwide occurred in Camagüey on July 30, 2025, when the explosion of scooter batteries during a blackout resulted in at least four deaths and three injuries.
The risk factors identified by the Cuban Fire Department include prolonged battery charging for more than seven or eight hours, voltage fluctuations following power outages—which can lead to overloads and the thermal runaway phenomenon in lithium batteries—using damaged extension cords, informally repaired batteries, and uncertified equipment.
The electrical crisis in Cuba, characterized by frequent and prolonged blackouts, significantly exacerbates these risks: abrupt power reconnections can trigger overloads in already weakened batteries, turning each generator into a potential hazard within the home.
A Cuban firefighter warned in January 2025 that leaving the battery charging all night significantly increases the risk of overheating and fire, a common practice among moped owners on the island.
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