Mexico City, Mexico — In response to an official request for support from the government of the Republic of Chile, Mexico organized an aid mission to help combat forest fires.
On Sunday afternoon, a group of Mexican forest fire fighters left the country bound for Chile. The group of 157 climbed aboard a federal plane on instruction of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
In a statement by the Secretaries of National Defense (Sedena), Foreign Relations (SRE), the Mexican Air Force (FAM ) and the National Forestry Commission (Conafor), the aid mission was organized to send a large contingent to Chile to support efforts to combat the serious forest fires that are affecting the regions of Bio Bío, La Araucanía and Ñuble in the central-south zone of the sister South American country.
Those sent to help battle the blaze consisted of 30 Conafor combatants who are specialized technicians, brigade chiefs and accident fighters, and 127 members of the Mexican Army and Air Force who are experts in firefighting.
This is the largest international team of people that has traveled to Chile to collaborate in dealing with this contingency, the government said in their statement.
When they arrived, they were transferred to the Carriel Sur Airport from where they were deployed to the affected areas. López Obrador has conveyed to President Gabriel Boric that if required, Mexico will send more of the country’s firefighting experts.
To date, at least 25 Chileans have died and more than 200 families left homeless due to the ongoing forest fires.
