Firefighters arrived almost without water to turn off fire in Placetas, neighbors say

Firefighters arrived without enough water to the fire caused, allegedly, by a short circuit in Placetas, Villa Clara, this Monday, February 17, according to Martí News.

Witnesses pointed out that the lack of resources prevented firefighters from quelling the flames in time, which resulted in the partial or total destruction of several homes.

Ronny, a resident close to the site site, described the impotence of the inhabitants to see how the fire was moving without firefighters being able to do much.

“A short circuit in a house and, as they were wooden houses, of old tabloncillo, that is gunpowder, that burned completely. The fire hurt, all that hurt because I know how much families must have lost there. And with the situation in Cuba now, it is not easy to lose one in the house. ”

Another neighbor, Yoharis, confirmed that firefighters arrived without the necessary resources to face the emergency.

«The firefighters from here arrived first, of Placetas, and they did not bring almost water, but then those of Santa Clara arrived immediately.»

The Cubadebate official portal reported that the fire affected four homes at the intersection of First Street with sixth. According to the report, two of them suffered partial damage, while the other two were completely destroyed.

The official note indicated that the incident began in a house and rapidly spread to the adjoining. He also highlighted the intervention of the Ministry of Interior and the Fire Department, highlighting that there were no human or injured losses.

However, this is not the first time that the lack of firefighters in Cuba generates criticism.

In videos published on Facebook, the user Iran Malká showed firefighters in Havana using a hose with multiple water leaks. In 2023, a fire in a building in Banes, province of Holguín, had to be suffocated by the neighbors themselves, since, according to the testimony of the user Daniel Oscar Escalona on social networks, the firefighters of the territory had the damaged truck and without water .

A resident of Placetas, who preferred not to be identified, expressed his frustration in the situation: «Here the house is burned and then the water appears.»

Martí News attempts to contact the Placet Fire Command were unsuccessful.

«After taking the burning house for a while, which was already taking strength because there was enough air at that time, a fire car arrived,» said activist Lisdani Isaac, who resides in Placetas.

«He did not give off the fire because he did not have enough water to quell what had already taken a lot of strength,» he concluded.