The protected area in Guantánamo, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has three hotspots under control while firefighting efforts continue.
EFE, Havana, July 4, 2026 — A major wildfire reported in Alejandro de Humboldt National Park, in the eastern Cuban province of Guantánamo, consumed about 600 hectares (1,483 acres) of scrubland and nearly 100 hectares (247 acres) of forest, state media reported on Friday.
The fire, which broke out on June 27, has been brought under control, although the Forest Ranger Corps and other emergency personnel continue working to extinguish it completely this weekend, according to Jesús Martín, the Guantánamo representative of the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment (Citma).
The official told Radio Guantánamo that the fire remains divided into three hotspots. Firefighting efforts are advancing from north to northeast by removing combustible material, while the nearby Jaguaní River is helping prevent the blaze from spreading.
Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire in an area where high temperatures, thunderstorms, and illegal mining are common.
In 2021, specialists attributed the largest forest fire ever recorded in Alejandro de Humboldt National Park to illegal artisanal mining. That blaze destroyed nearly 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres). The park is home to some of the highest levels of biodiversity and endemism in the insular Caribbean.
The park, which extends across the provinces of Guantánamo and Holguín, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001.
The protected area covers 70,680 hectares (174,641 acres), including 68,430 hectares (169,106 acres) of land and 2,250 hectares (5,560 acres) of marine territory. It contains Cuba’s largest river network and the Caribbean’s largest freshwater reserve.
Cuba’s Forest Ranger Corps reported last May that between January and April, 111 forest fires were recorded, damaging more than 3,174 hectares (7,842 acres) of natural and planted forests. Of those, 46 occurred in the western province of Pinar del Río.
The agency warned that 96% of the island’s forest fires occur between January and May and that, although the prolonged dry season and weather conditions contribute to the risk, 90% of the fires are caused by human activity.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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