The wildfire of significant proportions that has been active for five days in the mountainous areas of the municipality of Minas de Matahambre, in Pinar del Río, has already ravaged approximately 400 hectares of forest without authorities being able to fully control it.
The accident originated in the late afternoon to evening of April 10 at a location known as La Lanza, on the Río del Medio road, and it spread rapidly due to the intensity of the winds, high temperatures, and the abundance of combustible material in the area, according to the local television channel.
Rubén Guerra Corrales, head of fire management and handling for the Vueltabajo Forest Guards, confirmed to the Cuban News Agency that the fire has affected 400 hectares of forest and, although the forestry damage is significant, it currently does not pose a danger to populated settlements.
The official explained that "a control line was established with mechanized means, and throughout the night there was return fire, so we have not exceeded the defined area."
Almost a hundred park rangers, workers from the Forestry Company of Mantua and Minas de Matahambre, and brigades of farmers from the area are trying to extinguish the flames using mechanized equipment and hand tools.
The causes of the incident are being investigated by the Forest Rangers.
In parallel, efforts are underway to extinguish a second fire in the El Guayabo community, in the municipality of Pinar del Río, which has burned three hectares of semi-deciduous forest and six hectares of pine, with containment efforts primarily being manual.
Guerra Corrales specified that so far in 2026, another 39 incidents have been reported and extinguished in the province, with only one attributed to natural causes and the rest to human negligence, resulting in 197.6 hectares damaged.
The fire in Minas de Matahambre is the first fire classified as "very large proportions" in Pinar del Río during the period of January-May 2026, the source told Telepinar.
The La Lanza area has a recurring history of major disasters: in May 2025, a fire affected around 200 hectares in that same location, and between April and May of that year, another fire in the Arenales area devastated more than 3,240 hectares after nine days of battling with over 100 firefighters.
Pinar del Río has the highest risk of wildfires in Cuba, with over 411,000 hectares of forested land representing 48% of its area, and in 2025 recorded nearly 100 fires that damaged more than 9,000 hectares, leading the national statistics.
The Forest Rangers had forecasted a very active season for 2026 in the province, with between 85 and 112 fires from January to May and potential damage of around 4,000 hectares, due to the accumulation of combustible material, limited rainfall, and deterioration of forest roads.
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