MADRID, Spain.- A large forest fire remains active in the El Prado area, in the Mayarí municipality, in the Holguín province.
As specified by the Cuban News Agency (ACN) the incident has damaged 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 the country.
This area, 40 kilometers from the municipal capital and more than 700 meters above sea level, is considered the most difficult to access in the municipality, which is hindering the access of specific techniques and machinery for these cases.
The predominance of cubensis pine, the abundance of organic plant material, the poor condition of the roads, the gusts of winds of up to 60 kilometers per hour and the effects of the drought in the last four months favor the intensity of the fire, which is already lasting ten days, although the information transcended this weekend in the official media. According to the information, water irrigation is used with the use of helicopters.
According to Alexander Vargas Perdomo, director of logistics at the Mayarí Agroforestry Company, the Mayarí Agroforestry Company, the Revolutionary Armed Forces and engineering construction companies No. 16 and 17 are located in the ranger zone of the municipalities of Sagua de Tánamo and Moa. .
A report from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) indicated that between January and May of 2022 The country registered 284 forest fires, with an estimated affectation of 1,876 hectares of forests and 1,308 of marsh 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.
