Chapala Civil Protection and Fire Department chief Arturo Rivera revealed that his staff have faced major challenges in contending with a recent rash of brush fires that have plagued the municipality.
“We have sufficient manpower but lack adequate equipment and material resources to deal with the frequent outbreak of fires during the dry season,” Rivera said last week. Local firefighters have teamed up with their counterparts in neighboring Ixtlahuacan de los Membrillos to cope with what he labeled as a mutual predicament.
Rivera explained that Ixtlahuacan’s fire department has a pumper truck in good mechanical repair at its disposal, but the vehicle lacked the hoses and connections needed to put it to use. The problem was solved by stripping the missing parts from an out-of-service truck parked at the Chapala station.Firemen from both municipalities have battled side-by-side to extinguish four major brush fires that have scorched wide swaths of Chapala’s landscape over the past month. The most serious incident was the April 9 conflagration that swept over at least 40 hectares situated on the northeastern edge of the Libramiento bypass, threatening destruction of various private homes and farming properties and the lives of dozens of dogs in refuge at the Lakeside Spay and Neuter Ranch (see story page 17).
Rivera said that the fire was aggravated when flames ignited hundreds of tires that had been dumped in an arroyo, setting off a cloud of acrid smoke. It took firemen more than nine hours to bring the blaze under control. He noted that it was the second brush fire to occur in the same vicinity since mid-March.
Brush fires are most commonly caused when local farmers and ranchers attempt to burn off plant overgrowth to clear their lands prior to the rainy season. Rivera insists that such methods should not be employed by anyone without the fire department’s advice and consent.
To report fire emergencies or request consultations call 766- 3615 or 766-5252.