The “La Coloma” Industrial Fishing Company of Pinar del Río, the largest exporter of lobster in Cubasuffered significant damage as a result of a fire.
The incident, which was controlled by firefighters after about six hours, began in the early hours of this Saturday and spread rapidly due to the presence of combustible material at the site.
This fact made extinguishing efforts difficult, which still remained in a small focus, as Lieutenant Colonel José Enrique Iglesias Hernández explained to the radio station Radio Guamá, who confirmed that there were no victims as a result of the flames.
However, he said, “the economic loss is significant.”
According to the official report, the fire – classified as medium-sized – “severely” affected the industrial area, “where the company’s most important processes take place.”
Although at the time of the fire the industry was not in operation, 1,300 kg of lobster were stored there pending packaging, according to Yordan Nogueira Tapia, director of the fishing entity.
However, the losses are still being quantified, so a record of all of them and their value in monetary terms has not yet been provided.
As for the causes of the fire, they are under investigation.
Nogueira Tapia explained to the press that “there is no risk of ammonia escape, a chemical used in refrigeration systems that can represent a danger to public health,” one of the concerns regarding this type of events in industrial plants.
The “La Coloma” Industrial Fishing Company is the most important of its kind in Cuba and processes around 80% of the bonito and 45% of the lobster that is caught in the island’s waters.
After the fire, the Vice Minister of the Food Industry, Midalis Naranjo Blanco, pointed out that the industries of Batabanó and Isla de la Juventud “are in a position” to support the processing of lobster captured in Pinar del Río until the damaged facilities in La Coloma can be recovered.
