The Fire Department of Santiago de Cuba intervened this Monday to extinguish a fire that broke out in the open area of the Ampliación de Terrazas neighborhood, according to a report from the page “Santiago de Cuba today” on Facebook.
The images released show a thick column of black smoke rising over the area, personnel with hoses working on charred ground, and residential buildings visible in the background.
What happened was not a surprise for the neighbors of the area. In the days leading up to the incident, residents had alerted on social media about fires, smoke, and the accumulation of waste in the area, without any preventive measures being taken.
The climatic conditions in August exacerbate the risk. Santiago de Cuba experiences maximum temperatures between 33 and 37 °C during this period, with dry vegetation and wind—factors that allow a small fire to spread in a matter of minutes. "A seemingly small burn can get out of control in just minutes, especially at this time when high temperatures, dry vegetation, and wind favor the rapid spread of fire," the source warned.
No victims or damage to homes were reported in this fire. However, the proximity of the flames to inhabited areas raised alarms among residents of the neighborhood, located to the south of the city between Vista Alegre and Avenida de las Américas.
The episode adds to a series of fires linked to the accumulation of garbage in Santiago de Cuba. On August 14, Provincial Fire Command 4 had already extinguished another fire at a landfill at the corner of A Street and 3rd, also with no injuries or material damage.
The pattern has been repeating for months. In September 2025, a raging fire was directly attributed to the accumulation of waste and the drought. In December of that same year, another fire devastated a garbage dump in Rajayoga during a blackout. In June 2026, a parish in the city reported a fire at a landfill in front of their building that endangered an event with senior citizens.
The solid waste management crisis that Santiago de Cuba has been experiencing for years has led to the proliferation of micro-dumps and makeshift garbage sites in open areas and public spaces. The combination of accumulated waste, extreme heat, and dry vegetation turns these spots into high-risk zones during the summer.
At the national level, Cuba registered 111 forest fires between January and April 2026, with over 3,174 hectares affected, according to data from the Forestry Corps. Authorities attribute between 90% and 95% of the incidents to human causes: carelessness, land burns, poaching, and charcoal production.
"Beyond determining responsibilities, the urgent matter is to prevent it from happening again. Not conducting burns in inappropriate places is a responsibility that falls on everyone," concluded the publication that documented the fire.
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