By Alejandra Garcia on August 21, 2022, from Havana
photos: Yaimi Ravelo
Silence. Fourteen coffins covered with a Cuban flag rest under the altar of the Virgin of the Forsaken, patron saint of firefighters in Cuba. In the background, two floral tributes of very red roses stand out, among many others, with the signatures of Díaz-Canel and Raul. Matanzas hurt deeply on Friday.
A sea of people arrived at the Enrique Estrada Firemen Station museum. They advance little by little, overwhelmed and in pain, along Rio Street, one of the main avenues of the city that was shaken by an explosion last August 5 at its Supertanker base. There’s no precedent for such a grave fire, which was ferocious and threatening for five days.
Matanzas’ residents also can’t remember the last time Rio Street was so crowded and, at the same time, absolutely quiet. San Carlos de Borromeo Cathedral bells were the only sound that broke the urban silence. Locals and Cubans from all corners of the country came to the museum to honor the first brave men who rushed into the battle against the flames.
A fireman was one of the first to enter the place where local authorities displayed the photos of the 14 victims. He was dressed in civilian clothes, but the burns on his face reveal that he was at the base that terrible night. In his hand he held with difficulty a red rose. He couldn’t help crying.
He was followed by others, who also cried with one knee on the ground in front of the Virgin of the Forsaken. Shortly after, they were also seen hugging each other outside the museum, hurting inside and out, holding each other firmly.
A woman wept inconsolably next to the photo of a young firefighter, Fabian Naranjo, who managed to send the following message to his father shortly before losing his life due to a second explosion at the base in the early hours of August 6:
“Dad, it’s me, Fabian. The emergency alarm went off, and we had to go out there. Don’t worry, I’ll be all right, and I’ll keep an eye out in case anything happens. Get out of Versailles because the fire is serious. Take care of yourself. By the way, I’m the best. I’m a fireman, hahaha.”
In front of the coffers containing the brave men’s remains -which could not be identified due to the high temperatures to which they were exposed- a discreet handwritten message, carefully placed next to a bouquet of sunflowers, summarizes the feelings of the Cuban people for them: “The fire could not extinguish the love we feel for you. You will remain in our hearts.”
The unceasing fire and the immense curtain of smoke that would suffocate anyone just by looking at it will also remain forever in the people of Matanzas’s memory. Although the black cloud is no longer covering the sky, many look up with fear as if it could reappear. The pain is still intact.
On August 19, Cuba said farewell to those who could not save themselves while trying to save us. Their remains now rest in the cemetery of San Carlos de Borromeo in Matanzas. Meanwhile, at the scene of the disaster, plant shoots have begun to grow among the ashes and debris.
Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – US