Warehouse #3 on fire yesterday.
Yesterday and into last night, we began to get reports of a fire in Villa González, Dominican Republic which is the location of the Arturo Fuente tobacco warehouses used for storage. These warehouses are separate from their factory in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic, which is not far away. The warehouse that burned down was warehouse #3 and Carlito told Smokin Tabacco about a million pounds of tobacco was destroyed.
Ciro Cascella watches as firefighters fight to put out the blaze.
Carlito said “The month of May has not been good. Last year in May we got hit at the Chateau with a freak of nature hailstorm which destroyed a significant part of our crop and now this.” He continued with “Fire, trials and tribulations have been a way of life for us. It will only continue to forge our determination to move forward and prevail. We lost a lot but neve, ever our faith and will.”
The exact cause of the fire is unknown at this time. This is the second time that Fuente has lost a tobacco warehouse to fire. In August 2011, the warehouse next to this one burned down as well. We are being told that there were no injuries or fatalities. Matt and Nicole were recently in the complex and inside this warehouse last November. More details will follow, this is a developing story.
*Photos provided to Smokin Tabacco by Carlos Fuente Jr.
All that remains of warehouse #3.
