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300 people lost their
homes due to fire in Barrio Cuba
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff After the fire Monday that burned at least forty houses in the community of Barrio Cuba* in the province of San Jose, public institutions are coordinating victim assistance programs. According to the Firefighter's Department Head, Héctor Chaves, it was necessary to use 14 extinguishing units and 120 firefighters to control the fire that lasted about one hour and burned at least 40 houses. In a preliminary count made by officials of the Emergency Commission, 300 people lost their homes, of these 210 are adults and 90 are children. The municipality of San José enabled a shelter in the gymnasium of the community of Barrio Cuba, where there are 70 people hosted. The Commission is supporting victims with food, beds, blankets, medicines, and personal hygiene supplies. Also, the Water Institute installed tanks for the water supply of the shelter. The Social Assistance Institute announced a reserve of $173,145 to deliver to the victims, through subsidies to replace the losses occurred such as food, clothing, basic home equipment or for the rental of another house. Also, the Ministry of Housing is carrying out the process of registering families, in an aid program, to finance the construction or purchase of a house. The fire investigation specialist of the Fire Department continues with the analysis to determine the cause of the fire.  As A.M. Costa Rica reported on Tuesday, the fire covered approximately 800 square meters. There were houses built of wood and even cardboard, which helped the fire spread rapidly. "The fire spread faster because the houses were built with wood and some even with cardboard", Chavez said. After evacuating people, firefighters controlled the area that bordered the burning neighborhood. In a second phase, the fire was attacked from outside in, that is, extinguishing the flames from external areas until reaching the fire nucleus in the center of the neighborhood. Firefighters worked all of Monday night until removed debris and ensured there were no active embers that could trigger another fire. A team of approximately 50 police officers helped evacuate people and secure the perimeter to prevent people from entering the burning area to recover items from their homes. According to the police report, there were no people injured during the emergency. ------------------------ Does your community have an emergency plan should there be a fire? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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