A fire broke out on Monday around 12:20 pm at a residence located at El Dandy S/N, Reparto Jiménez, behind the University of Oriente in Santiago de Cuba. This incident was reported by Aris Arias Batalla, the Operations and Relief Officer of the Ministry of Public Health (MINSAP) in Santiago de Cuba, who also serves as the provincial vice president of the Firefighters Association, on his social media platforms.
According to local residents, the area was experiencing a power outage just before the fire started.
"Once the electricity was restored, smoke began to emerge from the house," detailed Arias Batalla, suggesting that a possible short circuit or electrical overload may have been the cause of the blaze.
The homeowner was not present at the time of the incident.
Two neighbors took quick action by opening the house and starting to douse the flames with water before the fire brigade arrived, an effort that likely reduced the extent of the damage.
Despite the difficult access due to the rough terrain, members of Cuba's Fire Brigade Command 1 successfully extinguished and cooled down the site.
Images of the incident reveal the interior of the house completely charred, with scorched brick walls, a destroyed roof, and a burnt motorcycle inside.
"Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities, but the property owner did suffer material losses," reported Arias Batalla.
This event is part of a documented trend in Cuba where power surges, following prolonged outages, can overheat appliances left plugged in, leading to short circuits. Such incidents have been reported before, including a similar fire in Havana in May 2026 that destroyed a house and an electrical pole, and another in May 2025 in Santiago de Cuba, where a fryer, left plugged in during a blackout, overheated and caused a fire when the electricity returned.
The fire comes amidst the worst of Santiago de Cuba's ongoing electricity crisis. The provincial Electric Company has acknowledged its inability to provide even "two hours of service" daily in many cases due to breakdowns at the Renté thermoelectric plant.
Some neighborhoods have endured blackouts lasting 40 to 50 consecutive hours.
The severe lack of electricity has sparked a wave of protests throughout the city.
On June 5, residents of Micro 2 staged a pot-banging protest after enduring more than ten days without power. On June 11, the people of the José Martí District took to the streets, demanding electricity, food, and freedom.
On the same day as the fire, residents of the San Ricardo neighborhood also protested after several days without electricity.
Additionally, transformers recovered from Havana arrived in Santiago de Cuba to attempt to mitigate the power disruptions in some neighborhoods, although this measure has yet to address the deep-rooted structural crisis that the Cuban regime has been grappling with for decades.
Understanding Power Outage Risks in Cuba
What typically causes fires after power is restored in Cuba?
Fires often occur due to power surges that happen when electricity is restored after an outage. These surges can overheat appliances left plugged in, leading to short circuits and fires.
How have residents in Santiago de Cuba responded to the electricity crisis?
Residents have resorted to protests, including pot-banging demonstrations, to express their frustration with the prolonged power outages and demand better services.