The Ministry of Industry & Commerce confirmed a major fire caused material losses of more than US$130 million at the Imperial Tobacco factory warehouses located in the San Pedro de Macoris free zone on Saturday, 23 November 2024. Industry & Commerce Minister Victor (Ito) Bisonó commended the firefighting crews and neighboring industries for their extraordinary work in battling the blaze at the storage facilities of the tobacco factory.
Alternate storage facilities in nearby towns were made available to the factory. Approximately 35 cargo trucks were successfully moved to a safe location during the incident, ensuring the continued operations of other free zones across the country.
The fire, which originated in a tobacco supply warehouses, consumed a significant portion of the factory and sent plumes of thick smoke billowing into the sky. Firefighters dispatched over 15 units to the scene, and reports indicate that at least four factory buildings were engulfed in flames.
The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The factory is part of the former Tabacalera de García installations, now rebranded as Imperial Tobacco with main operations in La Romana.
Imperial Tobacco is a subsidiary of the global giant Imperial Brands PLC, headquartered in Bristol, England. With 53 years of history, the factory is located in the province of La Romana, where nearly 3,000 employees work at producing machine-made cigars for export to international markets, primarily the United States.
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26 November 2024