August 6, 2024
tribute to the fireman who died in the Supertanker fire.
In front of the Firefighters Museum Cuartel Enrique Estrada, in Matanzas, tribute was paid to those fallen in the line of duty in the fire at the local Supertanker Base exactly two years ago. Seventeen chimes rang out in the surroundings of La Vigía square, and the sound of the sirens of the fire trucks and the National Anthem, preceded the roll call to keep present those who perished.
“Today we ratify the oath we took a year ago in this same place to never cease in our efforts to be more professional, to be more and more prepared for any contingency, and to never let down the people to whom we owe ourselves”, said José Antonio Esnard Viciedo, Rescue technician.
In spite of the time elapsed, it is difficult, and why not say impossible, to forget those days of August 2022 that kept the people of Matanzas and all Cubans on tenterhooks, days in which they fought for life, courage was squandered, and in which the most beautiful samples of altruism, solidarity and humanism surfaced, expressed the young officer of the Ministry of the Interior (Minint).
It was the battle of an entire people who remained united in those moments of uncertainty and pain, who mourned the loss of 17 of their children but always trusting that victory would be achieved; nor will we forget the selfless gesture of the Venezuelan and Mexican brothers who fought alongside the Cubans as a single army, he recalled.
Other disasters have put to the test the dedication and willingness of our firemen, of their auxiliary and cooperating forces -he said-, and as the people have always trusted in their brave and professional servants, so it will always be when the alarm sounds in our fire stations and the services of the Fire Brigade are required.
Participating in the tribute were Major General Víctor Rojo Ramos, member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and head of the Political Directorate of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR); and Major General Ricardo Riger Tejeda, head of the Central Army.
Also in attendance were Mario Sabines Lorenzo, first secretary of the PCC in Matanzas; Lázaro Suárez Navarro, vice governor of the province, other political and government leaders, as well as relatives of those killed in the line of duty, representatives of various organizations that played a leading role in mitigating the fire and the action to deal with its consequences, and other citizens sensitized by the event.
The presentation of the book “Entre fuegos. Bomberos de Matanzas”, published by Editorial Capitán San Luis, the inauguration of the exhibition “Con la sal a cuesta” by photographer Ernesto Cruz, and the traditional Ceremony of the Bells, will also be included among the actions of homage on this day.
Source: Cuba en Resumen