MIAMI, United States. – The explosion of an electric motorcycle caused a fire in the garage of the emblematic building Giralt Sisterslocated in Havana’s Vedado (23rd Street, between E and D), several users reported on social networks.
“Building covered by smoke, electric motorcycle catching fire in the building’s garage, people trapped in their apartments and elevator, the firefighters arrived quickly,” published by the user Yasmani Martínez in the Facebook group “Bus & Truck Accidents for more experience and fewer victims”.
Matínez also released a video and several photos of the incident. At the scene, patrols of the National Revolutionary Police (PNR), ambulances and rescue and salvage teams appeared, the Internet user pointed out.
The news of the incident was also confirmed on Facebook by other Cuban users of that social network. “I went to bed around 2:00 am and the building was smoky to the top, with no light,” accurate Laura del Castillo.
Until the publication of this note, no official media had alluded to the incident.
The Giralt Sisters building Construction began in 1958, following a project by the architect Oscar Fernández Tauler. It has 17 floors.
The burning of electric motorcycles, popularly known as motorinas, is common in Cuba, where a part of the population uses these vehicles to move, especially in urban spaces.
In June 2022, a fire caused by the explosion of an electric motorcycle in a state parking lot under lease, near the Calzada de Diez de Octubre, in the Havana municipality of Cerro, caused the total destruction of 12 of those vehicles and caused damage to two light cars.
Likewise, several houses adjacent to the parking lot were affected by the flames.
Earlier, in March of the same year, five electric motorcycles they caught fire in a parking lot of the provincial government of Camagüey and another in the central Avenida Monte, border between the municipalities of Centro Habana and Habana Vieja, in the capital of the Island.
The motorinas have become one of the most used means of transport in recent years in Cuba. The shortage of fuel and the deterioration of public transport services have forced many Cubans to resort to this type of vehicle.
To prevent fires, specialists in these vehicles consulted by CubaNet They have recommended doing a complete charge and discharge cycle every one or two months; avoid removing the Battery Management System (BMS); use only chargers specified by manufacturers; as well as not leaving the motorcycle connected for long periods of time once it has reached 100% charge.
It is also recommended not to expose the battery to high temperatures and always protect the vehicle when it is parked.
Another precaution is to leave the battery between 50% and 70% if you have to leave the motorcycle inactive for a long period of time, always placing it in a cool place with little humidity.
Experts in this type of motorcycle point out that lithium batteries do not have a memory effect and do not always need full charges or discharges.
