Cuban authorities report forest fires in the western region of the country

HAVANA, Cuba, March 2 (ACN) The western provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, and Matanzas continue to report forest fires since the start of the Cuban Forestry Corps' (CGBC by its Spanish acronym) national campaign last January through the first of this month.

Pinar del Rio registered the highest number of fires with 14, affecting 102.50 hectares; followed by Artemisa with eight fires and 58.90 hectares; and Matanzas with seven fires and 73.00 hectares; while the special municipality of Isle of Youth had 14 fires and 32.61 hectares, according to the official report from the Fire Management Department of the CGC National Headquarters, Ministry of the Interior, which the Cuban News Agency had access to.

It added that, in total, there were 55 fires with 303.42 hectares damaged, corresponding to natural and planted forests within their areas.

While Cienfuegos had 3 fires with a total of 11.20, Villa Clara 3 with 8.00, Sancti Spiritus 1 with 4.00, Granma 1 with 0.50, and Santiago de Cuba 2 with 10.00.

Conversely, no fires occurred in Havana, Mayabeque, Camagüey, Las Turinas, Holguin, or Guantanamo, according to the same source. At the beginning of this year, the Cuban Civil Defense (CGC) presented its traditional national campaign, supported by its plan to combat fires, during the theoretical session of the National Forest Fire Exercise.

Studies and over 25 years of experience show that some regions in Cuba have conditions conducive to more intense and larger fires, not only due to the impact of climate variability but also due to human irresponsibility.

Although their activity typically runs from January to May, there is evidence of a shift in their pattern, with occurrences now extending into June, July, and August.

This is associated with factors related to the prolonged dry season in the country and meteorological variables.

The greatest risk of explosions occurs between January and May, accounting for 96% of them, but March and April stand out as the months with the highest historical incidence.

According to the Hazard Prediction Index, the most exposed provinces are Pinar del Rio, Matanzas, Villa Clara, Camagüey, Holguin, and the special municipality of Isle of Youth.

However, in general, 90% of the causes are human-caused, and there is still very little awareness of the risk involved.