14ymedio, Havana, 9 December 2018 — A fire that occurred on the afternoon of Sunday at the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress, located at the entrance to Havana Bay, resulted in no loss of human life, nor interruptions to the program of the International Handicraft Fair (Fiart 2018 ), as confirmed by the official press.
The incident was reported by several internet users who published images of a huge column of smoke that came out of the fortress on social networks. The flames came from one of the theaters and protocol offices of the fort, where events such as talks, exhibitions and book presentations are frequently held.
Ernesto López, commercial director of the Historical-Military Museum Complex, of which the fortress is part, informed the Cuban News Agency that the damages that occurred in the Nicolás Guillén room and the nearby offices did not stop Fiart’s activities, and “they do not compromise the International Book Fair,” scheduled for February 2019.
People who were in the building at the time the fire started were evacuated and no one was injured by the flames or smoke, Lopez said. No other area of the fortress was damaged, while in the area of the fire the magnitude of the damage is still being quantified.
The traffic in the vicinity of the fort, where the traditional ceremony of firing the cannon takes place at nine o’clock every night, was restored in the afternoon hours.
Fiart 2018 opened its doors to the public last Tuesday and will continue until December 21; this year it enjoys the participation of 19 countries, with about 90 stands, plus about 220 stands for Cuban artisans.
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