State authorities haven’t ruled out implementing measures to limit access to the Primavera Forest after several fires raged in the federally protected nature reserve this week, laying waste to 800 hectares of brushland and forcing more than 70 schools to close their doors in metro-area suburbs and outlying towns and villages.
The largest of four brush and forest fires that raged in the 36,000-hectare woodlands to the west of Guadalajara started in the Pinar de la Venta subdivision and raged for around 28 hours over Monday and Tuesday. Authorities believe visitors to the forest enjoying the May 1 public holiday may have unwittingly started the blaze.
Some 500 firefighters and emergency volunteers were deployed to battle the blaze, which was finally extinguished early Tuesday evening.
Due to unfavorable prevailing winds, the pall of smoke drifted and settled over several Zapopan neighborhoods, prompting an air quality alert. Seventy-eight schools and higher educational facilities were instructed to keep their doors closed Tuesday, affecting more than 12,000 students.
Under the supervision of Jalisco Civil Protection officers, five helicopters were employed to make 290 trips to dump thousands of gallons of water on the flames. Six firefighters were treated for various conditions; thankfully none required hospitalization.
Neighbors in Pinar de la Venta set up tables and brought provisions to keep the emergency personnel fueled with food and drink as they fought the blaze.
Jalisco Environment Secretary Magdalena Ruiz said the state governor was continually assessing the situation and did not rule out the possibility that access to the Primavera will be restricted in the coming weeks. There will certainly be “increased vigilance,” she stressed, to more closely monitor people entering and leaving the nature reserve.
With at least six weeks until the start of the rainy season, temperatures are expected to rise further and more forest fires are anticipated.
As the firefighters battled the large Pinar de la Venta blaze, three smaller fires broke out in La Primavera in El Colli, Venta del Astillero and near the town of Tala.
And if that wasn’t enough, forest brush fires raged simultaneously in ten other locations in Jalisco, including the woodlands surrounding the Tequila Volcano, on the outskirts of Encarnacion de Diaz in northern Jalisco and in the hills overlooking Lake Chapala (see page 10).
Education authorities ordered the closure of 350 schools in Ahualulco de Mercado, Magdalena, Tala and Tequila on Thursday as the smoky air in the region known as Zona Valles persisted.
Ruiz said her agency is looking at bringing in a Mil Mi-17 Russian helicopter which can dump up to 3,000 liters of water at a time. The helicopters used this week in the Primavera were only able to release between 750 and 1,500 liters per trip.
A senior official from the Jalisco Health Department commented this week that he expects to see a spike in the number of people seeking medical treatment for respiratory complaints as a result of the poor quality air that has blanketed many parts of Jalisco over the past few weeks.
To report a brush fire in Jalisco, call 911 or 01-800-4623-6346 (INCENDIO).