A fire broke out this Sunday in a building on I Street in the town of Santa Marta, municipality of Cárdenas, province of Matanzas, as reported in real-time by reporter Christian Arbolaez via Facebook.
Firefighters and workers from the Electric Company promptly arrived at the scene. The fire was controlled and extinguished with no reported injuries.
According to the information gathered, the fire started in the electrical panel located in the stairwell of the building. Firefighters were able to prevent the flames from spreading to other areas of the structure.
Residents of the area confirmed what had happened on social media. "Behind my house. I called my parents, the firefighters are there right now," wrote a neighbor in the comments of the post.
Another resident noted that the fire “was in the breaker box, apparently due to a short circuit”, while a third person recalled having smelled “the odor of burning wire” before the incident.
The reaction on social media was immediate. "What a scare I've had, my God," expressed a local resident, while other neighbors were asking for the exact address of the affected building. The location was clarified by residents as I Street heading towards La Herradura.
Although the fire has been brought under control, concern remains among those affected. Eight families could be left without the limited electrical service they had while necessary repairs are made to the damaged facilities, as reported by Arbolaez.
"Eight families could be left without the little electricity service they had while the necessary repairs are carried out. Amid the difficult situation they are facing, losing the little electricity they do have is yet another blow for those living in that building," Arbolaez warned in his report.
This incident occurs in the context of an increasing frequency of fires in buildings and homes in Cuba, linked to the deterioration of electrical installations and the serious energy crisis the country is experiencing.
Prolonged blackouts and sudden restorations of supply cause overloads in already deteriorated systems.
In January of this year, a fire affected the Galiano 201 building in Centro Habana, and in February, two fires in the same night shook buildings in Habana Vieja and Centro Habana, both related to electrical failures.
Santa Marta, a town of approximately 12,000 inhabitants located along the road leading to Varadero, is also going through a particularly difficult time: in the early hours of this Sunday, thieves stole the solar batteries from the Maternal Home in the town while five pregnant women were inside.
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