Some 140 firefighters from several state and municipal agencies have been working around the clock to douse a wildfire in the Cerro Viejo/Chupinaya/Los Sabinos protected forest area in the hills between Ixtlahuacán de Membrillos and Chapala.
The fire started on Sunday afternoon and quickly increased in intensity.
Jalisco’s Ministry of Environment and Territorial Development (Semadet) issued an air quality alert due to the heavy concentration of smoke emitted from the blaze.
Protección Civil y Bomberos (Civil Protection and Firefighting) from Chapala, Ixtlahuacánand Tlajomulco are being assisted by officials from Semadet, as well as a few trained individual volunteers. Two helicopters, the Witari operated by Semadet and the Palomo from the Tlajomulco municipality, are also helping quell the fire.