Mahahual, Q.R. — Firefighters of the National Forestry Commission (Conafor) are working to control a fire in the El Placer area of Mahahual. Román Uriel Castillo Carballo of Conafor says so far, the forest fire has consumed approximately 10 hectares of land, which is mostly brush.
The fire, which is located on a remote road, is 30 percent contained. Carballo says that “due to its location, since it is located in an area far from the population center, it is believed to have been started by poachers.”
Carballo noted that the excess humidity in the jungle has reduced the risk of forest fires, recalling that in the same period last year, there were already 21 fires registered that affected 375 hectares, “but this year we are well below the index.”
It is the second fire to be recorded in the state this year. The first forest fire of the year for Quintana Roo was located along the Lázaro Cárdenas highway west of Cancun at the beginning of March.