A fire affects a warehouse in the Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre

Santiago de Cuba/This Friday afternoon a fire broke out in a warehouse located on the grounds of the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Caridad del Cobre, in Santiago de Cuba, according to reports 14ymedio neighbors of the place.

Around 2:00 pm, nearby residents reported that flames were coming out of a one-story building near the perimeter wall of the sanctuary. Shortly after, firefighters arrived at the burning warehouse, covered with a zinc roof, to put out the fire, which had not yet been controlled at the time of writing this note.

Shortly after, the Archbishopric of Santiago de Cuba confirmed the fire in the back of the El Cobre Retreat and Coexistence House, a former Seminary. According to a note published on its Facebook page, there were no injuries and the incident did not affect either the Retreat House itself or the National Sanctuary, one of the main points of religious pilgrimage in the country. The ecclesiastical authorities also specified that there were no donations or patrimonial assets in the damaged warehouse.

The campus administration remained present throughout the emergency and, according to the statement, the archbishop also went to the site to supervise the situation. The causes of the fire are still under investigation. The statement signed by Father Rogelio Dean Puerta, rector of the Sanctuary, also clarifies that the institution has other warehouses in operation, which will allow it to continue receiving supplies and donations while the investigations progress.

Currently, the Catholic Church is immersed in the eastern part of Cuba in helping the victims of Hurricane Melissa, a task that involves the transfer and protection of considerable resources such as food, mattresses and medicines.

In 2012, the entire site underwent restoration, within the framework of the celebration of the 400 years since the discovery of the image of the Virgin and the visit of Pope Benedict XVI.