Puerto Morelos, Q.R. — The municipal government of Puerto Morelos has filed a complaint with the State Attorney General to investigate the cause of the forest fires that have affected the area in recent weeks.
Carlo Fonseca León, municipal trustee and Sergio Chalé Gómez, Legal Counsel of the municipality, filed the complaint against whomever is responsible for the fires as stipulated in the Penal Code of the State of Quintana Roo and the Law of Burns and Prevention of Forest Fires of the entity.
The document recounts a series of events that began June 28, when the first citizen reports of smoke began. Firefighters and Municipal Civil Protection as well as the National Forestry Commission (Conafor), combatted those fires.
On July 22 and 23, citizens again reported the intense smell of smoke coming from private estates in the western area of the Villas la Playa subdivision.
It has been found that the June 28 fire was reactivated into 20 by 20-meter underground sections.
“In case of having responsible for causing fires for any purpose, we ask the corresponding authorities to apply the full weight of the law, as marked by articles 162, 178, 179 section II and 236 section II of the Criminal Code, as well as articles 34, 45 and 47 of the Forest Fire and Fire Prevention Act of the State of Quintana Roo,” said Carlo Fonseca.
Miguel Ángel Zetina Cuevas, general secretary Puerto Morelos said that the complaint was filed because the fires have characteristics of having been deliberately set, so that the intervention of the corresponding authorities is necessary for their investigation.
