Three fire fighters lost their lives while combatting a blaze Saturday, April 28 near Concepcion de Buenos Aires, a town characterized – like nearby Mazamitla – by dry forests of pine trees.
Victor Manuel Hernandez Chavez, Jose Antonio Moreno Galvan and Jose Antonio Moreno Nunez perished while tackling a fire in El Varal, a bucolic locale of cascading water and emerald flora. Two other men, Ruben Chavez and Rafael Reyes, were injured while attempting to stem the forest fire. They were taken to nearby Ciudad Guzman for treatment.
According to the state’s Environmental Department, Jalisco is sixth nationally in number of fires so far this year, but first in number of hectares (15,205) affected.
For Tapatios, the season was inaugurated too close to home when more 2,000 hectares of Bosque La Primavera were withered last month by a conflagration, the result, authorities believe, of arson.
Authorities recommend citizens exercise extreme caution to avoid accidentally touching off potentially deadly and destructive blazes.