Firefighters battling second wildfire in Cuba

Firefighters in Cuba are battling to douse a second large-scale wildfire in the country’s eastern province of Holguin, local media reported. The fire, the second hitting Holguin in a couple of weeks, has caused disruptions across the mountainous region of Pinares de Mayari, and threatens to spread to the rural towns of Vivero 2, Pueblo Nuevo and La Mensura, the Cuban News Agency reported on Monday. No casualties or injuries have been reported so far, Xinhua news agency reported. Earlier this year, a wildfire burnt nearly 1,000 hectare in the mountainous area of El Prado, in the eastern municipality of Mayari. According to Cuban authorities, the provinces of Pinar del Rio, Artemisa, Holguin and Camaguey, and the Isle of Youth were the hardest hit by fires last month. The Caribbean nation faces a prolonged drought affecting 62 per cent of the country, the Cuban Meteorology Institute said.