A fire in an improvised landfill triggered an alarm in the center of Cárdenas this Wednesday night, when flames broke out at the corner of Ayón and Coronel Verdugo streets, one of the busiest roads in the city of Matanzas.
The independent reporter Christian Arbolaez published the incident at 9:27 p.m., when firefighters were already working to extinguish the fire in front of a colonial-style building.
According to the report, neighbors in the area described a thick cloud of smoke as the fire units attempted to control the flames.
As of the time of the report, there was no information about injured individuals.
The released images show active flames on the sidewalk, with accumulated trash serving as fuel, while the ornamental facade of the building was illuminated by the orange hues of the fire.
The fact brings to light the crisis of solid waste management that affects Cárdenas and the entire province of Matanzas.
In February 2026, only 11 of the 24 garbage trucks in Matanzas were operational due to a critical shortage of diesel, leading to a massive accumulation of waste in streets and corners.
Cárdenas has been documented as one of the areas with the highest accumulation of trash, with makeshift dumps practically on every block, even in front of health facilities.
This situation led to a provincial alert for hepatitis A in April 2026 in the municipalities of Matanzas, Cárdenas, and Versalles, directly linked to accumulated unsanitary conditions.
The pattern of garbage fires on public roads has been recurring across Cuba since at least February 2026.
In Havana, a fire near the Church of San Judas Tadeo in Centro Habana released toxic smoke in April, and the firefighters did not respond to the neighbors' call.
In March, the landfill known as "El Bote," the largest open-air site in Cuba, caught fire again in the capital, producing toxic smoke that spread through residential areas.
The garbage crisis in Cuba exacerbated by fuel shortages has also increased the incidence of arboviruses: more than 70% of the population in municipalities like Cárdenas was affected by dengue, chikungunya, and zika during 2025.
Arbolaez summed up with a question what many residents of Cárdenas wonder every time they see the accumulated trash burning in front of their homes: "If the garbage were collected more frequently, how many fires like this could be avoided?"
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