MADRID, Spain.- For several days a fire has affected wooded areas in the Loma de Fana region, located northwest of the town of Montezuelo, in the municipality of Mantua, Pinar del Río province.
According to the latest local media report Tele Pinar, On the morning of this Sunday, the firefighters had the flames almost under control, but the strong winds in the afternoon returned to fuel the fire.
As indicated by the aforementioned media through the social network Facebook, the fire is consuming the forests located in the southwest massif that surrounds the popular council of Montezuelo.
The fire broke out on Friday afternoon. Forest firefighters and rangers from the municipalities of Mantua, Minas de Matahambre and Guane are working on the site.
So far, the loss of about 100 hectares of forests and damage to the fauna of the area is estimated.
Pinar del Río, the second most reforested province in Cuba, has been one of the regions most affected by forest fires so far this year, with more than 60 reported.
He last march A fire that occurred in the Los Palacios region of Pinar del Río caused damage to more than 200 hectares of humid tropical forests.
Between January and May 2022, 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.
