A significant fire was reported tonight in residences in the heart of Santiago de Cuba, according to images shared on social media by independent journalist Yosmany Mayeta Labrada shortly before 8:00 PM, Cuba time.
The alert was posted on their Facebook profile, where Mayeta shared photographs showing intense orange flames and dense columns of black smoke rising over a residential area of the city and the interiors of a house completely destroyed by fire.
"A large fire is currently taking place at Pasaje Soler, between Princesa and Santa Rosa, in the heart of Santiago de Cuba. The flames and a dense column of smoke can be seen from various high points in the city," wrote the journalist at the time of sharing the images.
Messages sent by the victims of the disaster confirmed to the reporter that their homes were burning.
"I'm desperate. My house and my mom's house are on fire," wrote one of the affected individuals.
The photographs reveal a large flame rising from the site of the fire. The image was visible from various points in the city, as confirmed by internet users in Mayeta's post.
A resident of the Trocha neighborhood reported being able to see the blaze directly from her home: “I can see 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 also no official confirmation regarding the extent of the firefighting efforts or the condition of the property or the properties affected.
A subsequent update from Mayeta clarified that the firefighters managed to extinguish the fire but had also deployed 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, the Cuban authorities have not issued any statement regarding the incident. The causes of the fire are unknown, and there is no information about potential 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.
Prolonged blackouts have led many citizens to resort to improvised electrical connections and other alternative sources of lighting or heating, factors that significantly increase the risk of incidents in neighborhoods with high density of old and dilapidated housing.
On Monday, August 24, the Fire Department of Santiago de Cuba intervened to of the Ampliación de Terrazas neighborhood, according to a report from 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, according to a report by Aris Arias Batalla, head of Operations and Relief at the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) in Santiago de Cuba and provincial vice president of the Firefighters Association on his social media.
According to neighbors in the area, there was no electricity in the vicinity just before the incident.
"When the power was turned on, smoke started coming out of the house minutes later," detailed Arias Batalla, 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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