President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has announced that wildfires sweeping across Mexico have resulted in the deaths of at least four individuals.
These fatalities occurred in Mexico state, the most densely populated area encircling the nation’s capital.
Currently, the country is grappling with 116 forest fires. As of March 15, approximately 400 fires have been recorded nationwide, consuming over 13,000 hectares (32,000 acres) of land, including regions as remote as Chiapas state, which borders Guatemala.
Officials have identified the origins of these fires as both deliberate acts and accidental causes related to farming activities.
Half of Mexico’s states, already suffering from drought conditions, are now dealing with fires exacerbated by strong winds.
The National Forestry Commission has identified 58 active fires in 15 states, affecting protected areas in Morelos, Veracruz, and Mexico states.
Over 3,500 acres (1,421 hectares) have been estimated as damaged, according to a report by the commission on the social platform X.
While no injuries have been reported, the fires have damaged homes, particularly in a wildfire in Nogales, Veracruz, where homes were destroyed, livestock perished, and at least five families were relocated to shelters.
Firefighters and local residents have been actively combating the flames, with some community members, like Alondra Chávez from Nogales and Catalina Villafuerte from the nearby community of Aserradero Maltrata, expressing the dire situation and loss they are facing.
