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The Forest Rangers Corps (CGB) of Pinar del Río and agricultural system forces controlled this Sunday the large-scale forest fire that ignited on April 10 in the La Lanza area of the Minas de Matahambre municipality, after nine days of intense efforts to extinguish the flames.
The disaster devastated 1,700 hectares of forests as of Saturday, according to preliminary data. The exact extent of the damage will be determined after an evaluation by forestry management specialists alongside the forest rangers, reported Rubén Guerra Corrales, head of fire management and handling at the CGB, to the Cuban News Agency (ACN).
More than 200 personnel participated in the containment efforts, hindered by winds, intense drought, and the large volume of combustible materials (dry leaves and trunks).
The authorities maintain an ash guard to prevent further spread in the affected area, while specialists continue to assess the true extent of the damage.
The fire in La Lanza was not the only incident in the province during those days. At its most critical moment, six simultaneous hotspots were recorded, which had collectively devastated 760 hectares up until then, highlighting the scale of the forest crisis that Pinar del Río faced in April.
This Sunday, the fire at kilometer 17 of the road to Luis Lazo was extinguished, causing damage to 100 hectares. On Saturday, fires located in the areas of La Solita, in San Juan and Martínez, and La Güira, on the borders of that territory and Pinar del Río, were put out, affecting 25 and 253 hectares of forests, respectively.
Guerra Corrales reported that this year there have been 46 forest fires in Pinar del Río reported and extinguished. Preliminary investigations indicate that human negligence is the main cause of these incidents.
Last year, between January and May—the period with the highest incidence of such disasters—97 were reported in the province, causing devastation across 8,691 hectares of forest, said the official.
Pinar del Río has over 411,000 hectares of forest — 48% of its area — making it one of the provinces in Cuba with the highest risk of forest fires.
The fire at La Lanza recalls the devastating disaster that occurred in April 2025 in the Arenales area, which consumed 3,240 hectares over nine days of activity, confirming a troubling pattern of large wildfires in the province during the dry season.
Cuba experienced in 2025 the fifth driest year since 1901, a condition that has increased the risk of wildfires throughout the country.
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