Press "Enter" to skip to content

Civil Protection investigating cause of Tulum Jaguar Park fire

Tulum, Q.R. — An afternoon fire at a Jaguar Park construction site left considerable material damage. On Thursday, a section of the wood structure began to burn and quickly spread to the other side.

The fire was reported around 3:00 p.m. at an under-construction viewpoint project, the Mirador, belonging to the Jaguar Park in Tulum.

About an hour after the fire began, Coordinación Estatal de Protección Civil of Quintana Roo provided an update saying “The report of a fire was received in the Tulum area, in the Jaguar Park through 911, so far no injuries have been reported, it has been controlled and put out by the team of firefighters and civil protection emergency personnel.”

National Guard evacuated the area while Tulum firemen worked to put out the fire that had spread to include both sides of the structure. Construction workers were working on the project at the time of the fire.

Municipal and traffic police were on scene to control vehicular traffic where road work is also being done. Elements of the fire department and Civil Protection cordoned off the area, which affected around 15 sections of the structure.

In a brief statement late Thursday, Ayuntamiento de Tulum (Tulum City Hall) said “Regarding the fire on the exterior façade of the Jaguar Park project, it has been reported that the emergency teams of the H. Tulum Fire Department and Tulum Civil Protection Coordination acted and controlled the situation effectively.

“No one was injured during the incident. The fire outside the premises did not affect the flora and fauna. The relevant authorities have launched an investigation to determine the causes of the incident and, where appropriate, establish responsibilities.

“We appreciate your understanding and cooperation at this time during the work that is being carried out in the area. The H. City Council reiterates its commitment to the integrity of the residents of Tulum and visitors.”

“In an official statement from Secretaría de Desarrollo Agrario, Territorial y Urbano (Sedatu) released Thursday night, they reported “The partial fire in access to the Jaguar Park was 100 percent extinguished and no injuries were reported.

“The Secretariat of Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (Sedatu) said that at approximately 3:00 p.m. (local time), a fire started in the palm grass covers of the South Access of the project under construction.

“The corresponding authorities were immediately notified. Thanks to the intervention of Civil Protection and Tulum Firefighters, in 30 minutes the fire was 100 percent controlled.

“During the incident, there were no injuries, damage to hotels or damage to the Archaeological Zone, which is located 3.5 km from the accident site. The South Access is one of the areas under construction of the Jaguar Park and is equivalent to 0.05% of the entire project, which will continue to be delivered in a timely manner.

“An investigation is being carried out with the competent authorities to find out the cause of the fire. In the same way, experts on the subject are already carrying out a review of the South Access to determine any additional damage that must be addressed by the company in charge of the work.”