More than 1,700 hectares of forests destroyed: the terrible toll of the fire in Holguín

MIAMI, United States. — Nine days after the large fire began in the forested area of ​​Pinares de Mayarí, in the province of Holguín, firefighters, rangers and volunteers continue their work to try to extinguish the fire.

According to official media, the objective is that the incident does not spread to the province of Santiago de Cuba, for which forces from the Mella municipality, bordering Holguín, are preparing firebreak trails.

It is estimated that some 1,236 people are currently working to extinguish the fire, which has devastated some 1,752 hectares of forest.

“There has been no rest to appease the fire, but nature has done its thing,” First Colonel José Luis Espinosa, chief of operations of the eastern army, told Cuban television, referring to the drought and the force of the windsfactors that would have affected the rapid spread of the fire.

Cuban ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel referred to the incident on Monday and highlighted the role of those who face the fire.

“The courage and sacrifice of the firefighters, rangers and residents who face the devouring fire of the beautiful and valuable forests of the eastern region in Pinares de Mayarí is great. Our greatest recognition of his heroic fight for the nature of Cuba,” said the president in his Twitter account. Twitter.

According to official figures from the Cuban Ranger Corps, in January 2023 more than 80 forest fires were reported on the island. The same source highlights that in 2022, 284 fires of this type were registered, which affected more than 1,800 hectares of forest.

The origin of a good part of these disasters is attributed to the unauthorized burning of herbs and sugar cane; as well as the use of vehicles without spark arrestor mesh and the activity of poachers.