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Danger looms over the forests of Pinar del Río just days before the start of 2026: experts forecast between 85 and 112 wildfires in the province from January to May, which is the highest risk period for these disasters.
The Forest Rangers Corps (CGB) warned this week that around 4,000 hectares could be damaged by fires due to the large amount of combustible material in the forests, the insufficient rainfall, and the poor condition of the forest roads.
Rubén Guerra Corrales, head of Fire Management and Control at the CGB, told the official newspaper Granma that this year approximately 100 fires were recorded in the western province, of which 13 were classified as large or very large.
The magnitude of the problem is evident in the fact that these last ones were responsible for nearly 80% of the more than 9,000 hectares damaged in the territory, according to data revealed by the official.
The CGB has reiterated that most of these incidents are caused by human intervention, which is why it continues to urge the agricultural entities and other state organizations connected with the forests to tackle indiscipline and negligence, Granma noted.
The newspaper did not specify what solutions will be provided for the poor conditions of the forest roads, which is one of the causes of the incidents.
Guerra Corrales stated that in areas where there is "awareness of the need to preserve forested regions," fewer fires are reported, citing the case of Viñales, a predominantly mountainous region, where only one occurred during 2025. In contrast, locales such as San Juan and Martínez, Mantua, and Minas de Matahambre have experienced frequent fires in recent years.
Despite the fact that Pinar del Río has a surveillance system that allows for the detection of hot spots through satellites and has observation towers scattered throughout the mountain range, it remains the province with the highest number of fires recorded in the country.
From January to May of this year, it led the national statistics with 97 incidents that affected approximately 9,456 hectares of forest, according to the report from the Cuban Forest Rangers (CGC).
In the first five months of 2025, there were 290 wildfires recorded in Cuba, which authorities attributed to drought, accumulation of combustible material, the impact of other weather events, and climate change, as well as negligence in fire management.
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