The fire, probably caused by a spark, resulted in no injuries. 1,200 square meters of infrastructure were reduced to ashes.

A fire caused nearly $200,000 in losses on Friday, February 13, when it ravaged a drying warehouse belonging to Tabacos de Oriente de Nicaragua, a subsidiary of the Plasencia Cigars Group, one of the world’s largest cigar tobacco producers.

Despite the rapid intervention of employees on site and emergency services, the flames spread within minutes due to the highly flammable nature of the tobacco being dried. The 1,190-square-meter building and the tobacco were completely destroyed.

“We believe it was an accident, probably caused by a spark. Tobacco was being dried, and the wind likely played a role. Fortunately, there were no casualties,” said a Plasencia employee, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“The workers reacted immediately. Thank God, we can count on the commitment of all the staff: they tried to control the fire with extinguishers. They are trained for this, but unfortunately, we are far from the city, and the fire had time to spread before the firefighters arrived,” she added.

The damaged warehouse is located on the La Concha tobacco farm, about 3.5 km from the center of Estelí, the capital of Nicaraguan cigar production. Around fifteen people usually work there. All were able to reach safety and contributed to the efforts to contain the fire.

“We are grateful that the fire was contained quickly and that our people are safe,” said Néstor Andrés Plasencia. “Our team responded with professionalism and discipline, and we are thankful for the rapid coordination with the Estelí Fire Department. We are equally moved by the support from our fellow manufacturers in Estelí — this industry truly operates as a family.”

Alba Nubia Lira, correspondent in Estelí, Nicaragua (with Dayana González)