Large forest fire put out in western Cuba

PINAR DEL RÍO, Cuba, Mar 9 (ACN) After intense days of confrontation, forces of the Forest Ranger Corps (CGB) in the province of Pinar del Río, the Ministries of the Interior and Agriculture and local forestry workers managed to extinguish today the massive wildfire that broke out Sunday in the municipality of San Juan y Martínez.

CGB estimates have it that more than 200 hectares of Caribbean pine were destroyed by the fire, as firefighters deal with some tree trunks still burning inside the controlled perimeter, and reported that the flames were fanned by strong winds and combustible materials like dry leaves and weeds.

Firebreaks prevented the flames from spreading any further across this intricate area of the province, where impassable roads made it difficult to launch a direct attack on the source of the fire.

CGB emphasized the need for people to take preventive measures when they are in these mountains, especially during the dry season (January to May).

In the previous calendar year, the province of Pinar del Río suffered 57 forest fires, 19 of them in the mountains, to the detriment of 143.9 hectares of woods. Human negligence was the main cause.