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The large forest fire that broke out on April 10 in the La Lanza area, in the municipality of Minas de Matahambre, Pinar del Río, was extinguished last Tuesday after being active for twelve days and three days under prior control, reported the Cuban News Agency.
The disaster swept through approximately 1,700 hectares of forests, mainly pine, in mountainous terrain which greatly hindered firefighting efforts.
More than 200 members of the Forest Rangers Corps (CGB) and workers from the agricultural system companies worked tirelessly to contain the flames, during shifts where they hardly took a break, as the weather hindered their swift extinguishing.
The evolution of the fire was progressive and alarming: on April 14, it had already devastated more than 200 hectares; on April 15, it surpassed 400; on April 16 it reached 540 hectares just in La Lanza, while a second front in La Güira, San Juan and Martínez added another sixty hectares.
By April 17, with six active wildfires simultaneously in the province, La Lanza had accumulated 612 hectares of pine consumed, and by April 19, the figure reached 1,700 hectares.
The adverse weather —intense drought, strong winds, and abundant combustible material— hindered a quick extinguishment, and an attempted counter-burn on April 15 failed, while issues with heavy machinery further complicated the response.
Rubén Guerra Corrales, head of fire management and control at the CGB, acknowledged the work of all participants and specified that this was the 46th fire recorded in the province so far this year, as well as the largest since January.
Forestry specialists, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA), and the CGB will conduct a field visit to assess the permanent damage caused by the flames.
The fire occurred in the same municipality of Minas de Matahambre where in April 2025 the devastating Arenales fire, which burned 3,240 hectares took place after being active for nine days, and it was classified as the worst forest disaster of that year in Cuba.
Pinar del Río is the province with the highest risk of wildfires in Cuba, with 411,000 forested hectares representing 48% of its area. The CGB had forecasted a very active season for 2026, with between 85 and 112 fires and up to 4,000 hectares at risk.
"This has been the highest reported since January, and we cannot let our guard down considering that we are still in the critical period for the occurrence of wildfires (until May 31)."
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