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The little Caleb, the nine-month-old baby who became engulfed in flames during a domestic accident in Santiago de Cuba, is recovering without visible scars after less than 20 days of treatment in the burn unit of the Juan Bruno Zayas Clinical Surgical Hospital, according to a testimony shared on social media by Pastor Darlon Bermúdez.
The accident reportedly occurred on June 13 on Vargas Street in downtown Santiago de Cuba, while the family was cooking with charcoal during one of the extended blackouts that plague the city.
Sparks from the rustic kitchen reached the chair where the baby was sitting, engulfing him in flames.
It was his father who jumped directly into the fire to rescue him, managing to bring him out alive, although the boy suffered burns all over his body, including his face.
"His entire body was injured, including his face; his father jumped into the fire to save him, and he succeeded. But his skin was severely damaged," Pastor Bermúdez recounted in his post.
"A great recognition to the medical staff who took such good care of him," he added.
The baby's mother, Solanch Lisbet Sánchez Zamora, publicly thanked the team of doctors, nurses, and specialists in the burn unit in the comments: "The team of doctors, nurses, and specialists in the burn unit at the Clinical Surgical Hospital, and all the wonderful people who helped my husband and my family... today my baby's recovery is thanks first and foremost to God and to all of you."
The maternal grandmother, Yaquelin Zamora Arce, also expressed herself on social media: “Thank you, Jesus, for everything you have done in my grandson's life, my prince [...] Thank you, Jehovah, for restoring his skin in such a short time.”
A relative identified as Yilbert Fernández described the support received as "a spiritual embrace for our family" and thanked those who accompanied the baby during his recovery.
The hospital discharge of Caleb was confirmed on June 28 by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada, who weeks earlier had reported that there were no supplies in the hospital and that families were facing institutional pressure not to disclose the case.
Caleb's accident is not an isolated incident. The energy crisis in Cuba forces thousands of families to cook with charcoal or firewood due to blackouts that, in the eastern part of the country, last for 45 consecutive hours or even more.
In March, President Miguel Díaz-Canel officially instructed to ensure cooking materials “from charcoal to firewood”, turning that setback into public policy. The electrical deficit reached a historic high of 2,174 MW in May, leaving 70% of the island without electricity simultaneously.
Santiago de Cuba has experienced at least six significant fires between February and May 2026, several linked to the use of alternative cooking methods during power outages.
The price of a can of charcoal in the city rose from 200 to 800 pesos, and a sack containing five cans can cost up to 4,000 pesos, almost double the monthly minimum wage.
The Juan Bruno Zayas Hospital, where Caleb was treated, operates with serious shortcomings: in August 2025, there were reports of burn patients without care, and in November of that same year, its morgue collapsed.
The baby’s recovery, celebrated by his family and hundreds of people on social media, contrasts sharply with the conditions under which the medical staff had to work to achieve it.
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