Residents Prevent Disaster in Colón, Matanzas Fire as Elderly Woman Rescued

A potential disaster was averted on Monday in Colón, Matanzas, thanks to the swift action of local residents. A fire broke out at 5:45 p.m. on Céspedes Street #257, trapping a man in his early 60s and an 85-year-old bedridden woman inside the house.

Raisdel Naya, head of Colón's Disaster Risk Reduction Management Center, reported that the fire department specialists identified the cause of the blaze as an overcharged lithium battery from an electric scooter.

"Due to the quick response of neighbors, the occupants were able to evacuate without harm," Naya stated in his official report, adding that neither of the individuals was injured and both are currently staying with relatives.

The fire, classified as moderate in scale, was fully extinguished by 7:25 p.m., concluding after about an hour and forty minutes of effort.

The operation involved not only the neighbors but also Adelisa Rivero Quintana, the local council president, two fully equipped fire department vehicles, a privately-owned water tanker, two Red Cross personnel, and members of the Ministry of the Interior.

A critical factor that could have significantly worsened the situation was the presence of gas cylinders and oxygen tanks inside the residence, which were "not initially disclosed upon arrival," Naya warned.

"Thanks to the prompt and professional work of the fire department, the damage was contained," the official emphasized, given the high-risk materials present.

Structural damage affected the kitchen, bedrooms, living room, ceiling, windows, the exterior kitchen door, electrical system, and plumbing.

The fire resulted in the loss of various belongings, including an electric stove, a gas burner, a refrigerator, two coolers, three electric scooters, a gasoline engine, beds, mattresses, a DVD player, and furniture.

This incident adds to a growing list of fires linked to electric scooter lithium batteries since 2019 across Cuba.

The surge in electric scooters as an alternative transportation method, due to the ongoing fuel crisis, has escalated the risk of such fires, especially amid frequent power outages and unstable voltage that lead to overcharging.

In July 2025, a scooter battery explosion in Camagüey during power restoration after an outage resulted in at least one fatality.

In October 2025, a family in Jobabo, Las Tunas, lost all their possessions in the third fire of the year in that area, caused by a scooter battery.

Similar incidents have occurred in Holguín and Mayarí, where firefighters and locals managed to prevent disaster in comparable situations.

The primary causes of these fires are battery overcharging, non-original chargers, makeshift repairs, and unstable electrical voltage, all exacerbated by Cuba's ongoing structural crisis.