The cause of the fire and the extent of the damage are still unknown.
14ymedio, Santiago de Cuba, November 14, 2025 — A fire broke out Friday afternoon in a warehouse located on the grounds of the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, in Santiago de Cuba, according to reports from local residents to 14ymedio .
Around 2:00 pm, nearby residents reported seeing flames coming from a one-story building near the sanctuary’s perimeter wall. Shortly afterward, firefighters arrived at the burning structure, which had a zinc roof, to extinguish the blaze, which was still not under control at the time of this writing.
Shortly afterward, the Archdiocese of Santiago de Cuba confirmed the fire at the rear of the El Cobre Retreat and Fellowship Center, a former seminary. According to a statement posted on its Facebook page, no injuries were reported, and the fire did not affect either the Retreat Center itself or the National Shrine, one of the country’s main religious pilgrimage sites. Church authorities also clarified that no donations or patrimonial items were stored in the damaged warehouse.
The administration of the sanctuary remained present throughout the emergency, and according to the statement, the archbishop also went to the site to oversee the situation. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The statement, signed by Father Rogelio Dean Puerta, rector of the Sanctuary, also clarifies that the institution has other operational warehouses, which will allow it to continue receiving supplies and donations while the investigation continues.
Currently, the Catholic Church is immersed in the eastern region of Cuba in helping the victims of Hurricane Melissa, a task that involves the transfer and protection of substantial resources such as food, mattresses, and medicines.
In 2012 the entire site underwent restoration, as part of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the image of the Virgin and the visit of Pope Benedict XVI.
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