Cuba had registered over 400 forest fires till April 15 this year, affecting more than 5,267 hectares of forests and 2,340 hectares of marsh or grasslands, officials said Friday.

The Cuban Ranger Corps said 80 percent of these fires were caused by human negligence, such as smoking or sparks from vehicles and machineries.

The Ranger Corps said it had restricted the use of fire in April.

Spring is a drought season in Cuba, when forest fires are highly likely to take place.

From January to May 2010, 5,711 hectares of forests in Cuba had been damaged by forest fires with estimated losses of 7.6 million Cuban pesos(298,000 U.S. dollars).

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