A minor fire broke out on Tuesday at "La Nueva" funeral home, just a few blocks from downtown Guantánamo City. The blaze ignited in a chapel located on Ramón Pinto Street, between Máximo Gómez and Luz Caballero, amidst several ongoing wakes at the facility.
Social media users circulated images of the flames and the heavy smoke emanating from one of the rooms in the establishment. According to reports from citizens, the fire was triggered by an electrical fault. “The chapels were full of corpses. They were warned about a short circuit yesterday, but nothing was done,” lamented singer-songwriter and influencer Saúl Manuel on his Facebook page.
As of now, official media in Guantánamo have not released any information regarding the incident or the extent of the material damage.
Two weeks ago, a small-scale fire was also reported in Guantánamo at an old, out-of-service distillery in the Argeo Martínez area, within the Manuel Tames municipality. Shortly afterward, a significant fire erupted at the lobster processing plant of the Industrial Fishing Company La Coloma in Pinar del Río, the leading seafood processor in Cuba. While there were no casualties, the fire caused substantial material losses, damaging high-tech machinery.
These incidents raise concerns about the number of fires reported in state-run facilities in recent weeks. One of the most severe occurred at the fuel oil generator groups of the Antonio Maceo (Renté) Thermoelectric Plant in Santiago de Cuba at the end of September. Although there were no injuries, the large-scale fire added strain to the already challenging situation at the plant, where several units were out of service, impacting the plant's ability to contribute steadily to the National Electric System (SEN).
Around the same time, a fire at the Distributed Generation Fuel Oil Site 2 in Los Güiros, Guantánamo, highlighted the precarious state of Cuba's electrical system once again. In the same week, an electrical malfunction ignited a blaze that engulfed a jeep in the basement garage of the Bank of Credit and Commerce (BANDEC) in Sagua de Tánamo, Holguín. Fortunately, the Fire Department and local residents managed to control the fire before it spread to other parts of the building.
Additionally, a gas explosion at the Brisas del Mar hotel in Caibarién, Villa Clara, injured three people and led to a fire that was extinguished by firefighters.
Key Questions About Recent Fires in Cuba
What caused the fire at "La Nueva" funeral home?
The fire at "La Nueva" funeral home was caused by an electrical fault, as reported by local citizens.
Have there been other recent fires in Guantánamo?
Yes, there was a small fire at an old distillery in the Argeo Martínez area of Guantánamo two weeks ago.
What impact did the fire at the Antonio Maceo Thermoelectric Plant have?
The fire at the Antonio Maceo Thermoelectric Plant exacerbated the plant's difficulties, affecting its ability to contribute to the National Electric System.