A significant fire was reported this evening in homes in the heart of Santiago de Cuba, according to images shared on social media by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada just before 8:00 PM, Cuba time.
The alert was posted on their Facebook profile, where Mayeta shared photographs depicting intense orange flames and thick columns of black smoke rising above a residential area in the city, as well as the interiors of a house completely destroyed by the fire.
"A large fire is currently occurring in Pasaje Soler, between Princesa and Santa Rosa, in the heart of Santiago de Cuba. The flames and a thick column of smoke can be seen from various high points in the city," the journalist wrote at the time of releasing the images.
Messages sent by the victims of the disaster confirmed to the reporter that their houses were catching fire.
"I am desperate. My house and my mom's house are on fire," wrote one of the affected.
The photographs reveal a large flame rising from the fire site. The image was visible from several points in the city, as confirmed by users in Mayeta's post.
A resident of the Trocha neighborhood claimed to be able to see the fire directly from her home: "I'm watching it from my house. The fire is quite high. It's decreasing, but it's still burning."
Other comments from neighbors indicated that the firefighters would have arrived at the location to address the emergency, although there is no official confirmation regarding the extent of the firefighting efforts or the condition of the affected building or buildings.
A subsequent update from Mayeta clarified that the firefighters managed to extinguish the fire but had also sent guards. "More police and black berets than firefighters. Even the DTI. It seems they came not only to hinder but also to suppress the fire," a neighbor told the journalist.
So far, Cuban authorities have not issued any statement regarding the incident. The causes of the fire are unknown, and there is no information about possible injuries or the extent of the material damage.
Fires in residential areas are a recurring phenomenon in Cuba, exacerbated by the severe energy crisis the country has been facing for years.
The prolonged blackouts have caused many citizens to resort to improvised electrical connections and other alternative sources of lighting or heat, factors that significantly increase the risk of accidents in neighborhoods with a high density of old and deteriorated housing.
On Monday, August 24, the Fire Department of Santiago de Cuba intervened to extinguish a fire that broke out in an open area of the Ampliación de Terrazas neighborhood, as reported by the page “Santiago de Cuba hoy” on Facebook.
In June, a house located at El Dandy S/N, Reparto Jiménez, behind the University of Oriente in Santiago de Cuba, suffered a fire, as reported by Aris Arias Batalla, the Operations and Relief Coordinator of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) in Santiago de Cuba and provincial vice president of the Firefighters Association on his social media.
According to locals in the area, there was no electricity in the zone prior to the incident.
"When the power was turned on, smoke began to come out of the house a few minutes later," Arias Batalla detailed, indicating a possible short circuit or electrical overload as the likely cause of the fire.
The owner was not present in the property when the fire occurred.
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