Following nine days of intensive combat against the flames, forces from the Pinar del Río Forest Ranger Corps (CGB) and the agricultural system established control this afternoon over a large-scale forest fire in the La Lanza area, located in the municipality of Minas de Matahambre.

More than 200 personnel carried out the containment efforts, which were consistently hampered by strong winds, a severe drought, and the presence of significant amounts of combustible material, such as dry leaves and trunks.

Rubén Guerra Corrales, head of fire management and handling at the CGB, explained to the Cuban News Agency that personnel remain in the affected area performing a "so-called ash watch" to prevent any reignition or further spread.

As of this Saturday, the fire had affected 1,700 hectares of forest. Guerra Corrales noted that the exact extent of the damaged area will be determined following an assessment by forest management specialists in conjunction with the rangers.

He further noted that a fire at kilometer 17 of the Luis Lazo highway, in the main municipality, was extinguished today after damaging 100 hectares. A total of 64 personnel from the CGB, as well as forestry and tobacco enterprises, worked at that site.

Additionally, yesterday evening, fires were extinguished in La Solita, San Juan y Martínez, and La Güira, situated on the borders of that territory and Pinar del Río. These incidents resulted in damage to 25 and 253 hectares, respectively.

Guerra Corrales reported that, so far this year, the Vueltabajo region has recorded and extinguished 45 forest fires, impacting a total of 612.6 hectares. In the previous year, from January to May—the period of highest occurrence—97 fires were recorded, affecting 8,691 hectares of forest.