MADRID, Spain.- A large-scale fire that broke out this Saturday in the mountainous area of Pinares de Mayarí, Holguín province, remains active and “out of control,” according to the Cuban official press.
The incident, which already covers around 100 hectares, affects a region very close to the Mensura-Piloto National Park, which occupies an area of more than 8,480 hectares, where endemic species of Cuban flora and fauna coexist.
The fire departments and rangers that are in the place have not been able to stop the fire due to the strong gusts of wind and the drought in the area.
As he told Latin Press local journalist Emilio Rodríguez Pupo, “the smoke from the incident affects some 600 inhabitants of the towns of Vivero 2 and Pueblo Nuevo, where their residents have also turned to trying to control it.”
makes alone a couple of weeks another strong fire broke out in the Mayarí municipality, in the town of El Prado.
The incident, which remained active for several days, affected more than 1,000 hectares, with negative consequences on the flora and fauna of the place, characterized for being one of the largest coniferous reserves in Cuba.
Between January and May of last year, 284 forest fires were registered on the island, with an estimated affectation of 1,876 hectares of forests and 1,308 of swamp grasslands.
The largest number of fires occurred in the month of March, with Pinar del Río, the Isla de la Juventud Special Municipality, Matanzas and Artemisa being the territories most affected by them.
According to estimated data from the Cuban Ranger Corps, 320 to 445 forest fires are expected for 2023, which could affect 4,300 to 6,000 hectares between January and May.
