Cuba Fights a Major Fire in the Eastern Part of the Island

By Alejandra Garcia on March 2, 2023 from Havana

For more than 10 days, a major fire has been raging in the eastern Cuban province of Holguin, wreaking havoc on more than 3,600 hectares of pine forests, pastures, and coffee plantations. There have been no fatalities, thanks to the promptness of the rescue brigades and local authorities, but the damage to vegetation and fauna is irreparable.

The aerial images are painful. The thick smoke covers a large part of Pinares de Mayari, within the Sierra de Nipe, more than 700 meters above sea level. According to official information, the most regrettable losses are registered in endangered, critically endangered, or vulnerable plants. In addition, the flames reached areas of Mensura-Piloto National Park, a protected area since 2008 that was set aside because it is one of the most biodiverse reserves in Cuba and a refuge for valuable species of flora and fauna.

Forest Guard forces remained in the national park to cut off the flames, but in other places, there was nothing to be done. The flames rolled through the communities of Vigindy and Pinarito until they reached areas in the municipalities of Mella and San Luis. “The fight continues and new forces are being added,” described Emilio Rodriguez Pupo, a journalist from Holguin, who has been following this natural disaster minute by minute.

The specialized program of Cuban television, Scientific Observatory, shared on social networks that the jasmine of Pinar (Euphorbia podocarpirolia), native to the area and considered the flower of Holguin, is at risk.

photo: Juan Pablo Carreras

“There are also fears about the impact on the La Sabina trail, where a rare local pine species with high biological value lives,” Rodriguez said, adding that fauna such as mollusks and insects, which have not been able to escape to other areas, have also been affected.

Holguin is also concerned because the fire consumed almost twenty recreational houses in Playa Cunagua, the municipality of Bolivia. Since the outbreak of the blaze, dozens of people have been evacuated from this rural area so that the smoke does not affect their health, while hundreds of rescuers, firefighters, and volunteers fight tirelessly against the flames. In times of drought and high temperatures, any spark can trigger dire consequences; therefore, every precaution is too little.

Since the onset of the dry season on the island, forest fires or fires in rural areas have become a daily reality. These fires are in the news because they cover large extensions of forests in the East and West; or for occurring under high voltage power lines, which has the potential for disconnecting from the National Electric Power System.

Once the fire is under control, specialists from the Holguin Center for Research and Environmental Services, the Botanical Garden, and other entities of Citma will evaluate the totality of the environmental damages.

On Saturday, February 18, the first of four outbreaks of the fire were identified. Although the fire was fought with force from the first moment, it managed to spread due to the strong winds and the abundance of plantations of cuben pines, considered highly flammable material.

The local media is emphasizing that measures against these disasters are vital to prevent their high problabilty of spreading. Data confirms that around 9 out of 10 fires are caused by human activity.

“We must be alert before forest fires, especially in the present season of higher incidence -which runs from January 1 to May 31, trigger and wreak havoc on important ecological and economic assets, and even human life itself,” journalist Alden Hernandez warned.

Source: Resumen Latinoamericano – US