Morelos: fire in Tepoztlán that affected more than 165 hectares

After nine days since a forest fire occurred in the area “Los Corredores” in Tepoztlán, Morelos, authorities of the Unified Fire Command managed to liquidate the incident 100% last Friday, April 1. However, it was not until Tuesday 5 that the Morelos government notified it. In total, an area of 165,189 hectares was affected.

This incident mainly affected the area of grasses, shrubs, litter and adult trees. The damage obtained has been compared with the area of the Azteca Stadium, which covers a perimeter of 6,539 hectares. In this sense, the fire that occurred at the end of March consumed 25.97 times the colossus of Santa Ursula.

According to the Morelos State Coordination of Civil Protection (CEPCM), more than 1,301 elements participated in mitigation efforts, including members of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), the National Forestry Commission (Conafor), the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) and the Force Mexican Air (FAM). Brigadiers from various Civil Associations also joined efforts to prevent the spread of fire, such as “Cacomixtles”, “Badgers” and “Ocelots”.

The head of the Ministry of Sustainable Development of Morelos, José Luis Galindo Cortez, announced that it was a type three fire, “which means that due to its complexity it was necessary to activate the State Incident Management Team for three operational periods,” he said.

Two MI-17 helicopters, belonging to the Sedena and the National Guard, were also used. On two of the most critical days, 88 flushes were carried out with approximately 176,000 liters of water to control the fire in the area.

The director of the State Center for Environmental Contingencies and Emergencies of Morelos, Raymundo Rosales Martínez, indicated that, although on Tuesday, March 5, there was no active fire in the entity, during the weekend a minor fire was reported in the El Alambrado Park, located in the Del Bosque neighborhood, in Cuernavaca.

On the other hand, Conafor announced that with a cut to April 5, there are currently 55 active fires in 17 states throughout the country. The affected area is estimated to cover 7,448 hectares. In addition, 9 of the fires occurred in Protected Natural Areas, so 2,300 brigade members carry out mitigation work.

In the state of Jalisco, six fires were reported: three in Zapopan, one in Tala, one in Bolaños and another in Ixtlahuacán de los Membrillos. About 267 combatants attend to the claims.

Likewise, in the “El Cielo” Biosphere Reserve, located in Tamaulipas, a forest fire has affected 950 hectares. So far 70% and 60% of settlement has been controlled. The fire control works involve 304 combatants and three helicopters from Conafor, Sedena and the National Guard are available.

Similarly, in the national park “Cumbres de Monterrey”, in Nuevo León, the fire that has hit more than 2,000 hectares has been 97% controlled and about 95% has been liquidated. Six air crews from La Sedena, Conafor and the government of Nuevo León and Coahuila have been used in this incident.

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