A devastating fire partially or completely destroyed five homes on Pasaje Soler, right in the city center of Santiago de Cuba, on Wednesday night, according to a detailed report from the provincial vice president of the Volunteer Firefighters Association, Aris Arias Batalla.
According to the testimony of neighbors and those affected, the fire is said to have started around 9:15 p.m. in residence number 5, owned by Oliver Montalvo Romero, which was closed and unoccupied at the time of the incident.
The flames spread in a domino effect to house number 2, belonging to engineer Alejandro Castillo Preves, and house number 3, owned by Anni Leyda Varga Esteven, where the damage was more severe.
Houses 7, 9, and 11 were also affected, resulting in the loss of mattresses, clothing, and belongings in bedrooms, living rooms, lounges, and false ceilings.
No human casualties or injuries were reported, but a dog lost its life that was in house number 5 and could not be rescued as there was no one in the property.
The neighbors themselves were the first to try to extinguish the flames using the water available in the pipes, before the firefighters from Command 1 Martí and Command 4 Vista Alegre arrived.
The narrowness of Pasaje Soler complicated the maneuvers of the fire trucks, although the personnel acted quickly to prevent a larger spread of the fire.
A neighbor from the Trocha neighborhood described the flames as "very high" and visible from her own house, while a direct victim expressed her distress in a message: "I am desperate. My house and my mom's house are on fire."
Castillo Preves, who evacuated his mother with physical disabilities before the flames engulfed their home, acknowledged the firefighters' efforts despite his grief: “I have lost almost everything in just a few minutes, but despite my losses and sadness, I congratulate the Provincial Fire Chief and his young firefighters; those guys are fearless and courageous."
Medical personnel from the health area of Camilo Torres attended to neighbors who were hypertensive and in shock.
Municipal government and housing officials arrived at the site to await the assessment to evaluate the damages and coordinate the removal of debris.
The massive presence of police officers at the scene, including patrol cars and members of the Technical Investigations Department (DTI), caught attention and caused discomfort among the neighbors. "More police and black berets than firefighters. Even the DTI. It seems they came not only to hinder but also to suppress the fire," noted an anonymous neighbor.
Cuban authorities have not issued any official statement regarding the incident, its causes, or the situation of those affected.
This fire adds to a series of incidents that have been reported in Santiago de Cuba throughout 2026, exacerbated by the energy crisis that forces citizens to rely on improvised electrical connections and alternative methods for cooking food.
The Electric Company of Santiago de Cuba admitted that it could not guarantee even two hours of daily electricity service in many circuits. During August, the National Electric System (SEN) barely covered between 32% and 35% of the country's electricity demand.
A fire in the Jiménez neighborhood in Santiago occurred in Juneminutes after the electricity was restored following a blackout, pointing to an overloaded short circuit as the probable cause, a pattern that is recurring in neighborhoods with old and deteriorating homes.
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