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More
than forty houses burned in huge fire in Barrio Cuba
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
The Firefighters of Costa Rica reported on Monday that
at least forty houses were burned in a giant fire that
lasted more than an hour, in the community of Barrio Cuba* in the province of
San Jose.
According to firefighters, more than 12 fire
extinguishing units with a team of more than 80
firefighters responded to the emergency call received at
4:20 p.m. The fire lasted about an hour and at 5:30 p.m.
the fire was reported as under control.
According to the Firefighter's Department Head, Héctor
Chaves, 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.
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. Also, evacuated people
were relocated to family or friends' homes and the
community gym.
Firefighters continued working all of Monday night. They
removed debris and ensured there were no active embers
that could trigger another fire.
It is expected that during the next few hours,
firefighter specialists will begin an investigation to
determine the origin of the fire.
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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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