A large fire swept through a private business this Sunday at the intersection of Agua Dulce and San Benigno streets in the El Cerro municipality of Havana, according to videos shared on social media by user Irma Lidia Broek.
Cuban authorities have not issued any official statement regarding the incident, its causes, the exact damages, or the possible existence of victims.
The images, recorded during the night, show intense orange and red flames rising above low structures, with a thick column of reddish smoke covering the sky of the neighborhood. The post garnered over 10,000 views in just a few hours.
In the recording, a witness can be heard saying, "There isn't even a fire truck here," which indicates a very limited emergency response given the scale of the fire.
The magnitude of the disaster was such that the smell of smoke was detected in areas far from the site. A user commented on the post: "The stench of burning can be felt here in Tulipán and Ayestarán," a neighborhood distant from the Cerro municipality.
Neighbors and customers of the business reacted with dismay. One user wrote: "How sad, I have bought several excellent quality items from this business, and they are very kind. My support goes to their staff." Meanwhile, another person lamented that the workers "will be left without their jobs" and expressed her sorrow for the owners' material losses.
The original publication attributes the risk of these types of incidents to "electrical accidents or engine explosions" in the context of the energy crisis affecting the island.
The fire occurs in a context of multiple crises. Havana is experiencing blackouts lasting over 12 hours a day, with electricity generation deficits that exceed 1,700 MW during peak nighttime hours.
In addition, there is a severe water shortage: more than 248,000 people in the capital lack a regular water supply, and neighborhoods within the Cerro municipality are among the most affected.
That combination—extended blackouts requiring the use of motorcycles and makeshift generators, along with the lack of water complicating fire extinguishing efforts—creates high-risk conditions for private businesses operating in precarious circumstances.
According to data from February 2026, 96% of Cuban Mipymes are affected by the fuel crisis, in a sector that includes approximately 11,300 authorized companies.
El Cerro is one of the most densely populated municipalities in Havana, with aging infrastructure and high vulnerability to emergencies.
In Cuba, there is no established system of private insurance for businesses, so the destruction of a small or medium-sized enterprise effectively means the permanent loss of its owners' investment and the jobs of its employees.
It is not the first time that a fire has destroyed assets of a Mipyme on the island: in July 2025, the trailer of a private business linked to Transmarco was burned in Ciego de Ávila.
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