Forest fires continued to spread across Cuba’s eastern region on Monday, having already consumed over 2,000 hectares of forest, plantations, and coffee crops since they began near Mensura-Piloto National Park on Feb. 18. The flames have now moved toward the Province of Santiago de Cuba, home to the populous city of the same name.
Local Communist Party leader Ernesto Santiesteban noted on state television that the fires are actively spreading through a wide area, making it difficult for firefighters, park employees, and soldiers to extinguish them due to “adverse conditions” and difficult terrain. The economic effects have already been considerable, and recovery of the area could take years.
This is in addition to the dozens of fires that occurred in January, with Pinar del Rio and Artemisa in western Cuba, and Camaguey and Holguin in the central-eastern region being the areas most affected.
By Nelson Acosta