Guatemala Forest Fires Place Country in State of Calamity, President Bernardo Arevalo Announced

Forest fires have been raging all over Guatemala, forcing President Bernardo Arevalo to declare a State of Calamity in the country. Classes in the affected departments have now been suspended, including in the metropolitan area of Guatemala City. Classes have been suspended there since Monday.

The Guatemala forest fires have even affected the Sustainable Management Authority of Lake Amatitlán (AMSA) landfill, which is located just 22 miles from the capital, Guatemala City,. The fire there generated large flames and powerful smoke columns that affected much of the Central American country's capital.

"The current situation is not accidental, according to official information 80 percent of the fires have been caused, as for example in the volcanoes of Agua, Tajumulco, the garbage dump of Amatitlán, and others in Huehuetenango," said President Bernardo Arevalo, who was just fresh off a trip to the United States to meet with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. "We reject these acts that endanger the lives of Guatemalans because high pollution causes severe damage to people's health."

According to TeleSur, over 200 people had to receive medical attention for respiratory problems, said the Ministry of Health of Guatemala. This was mainly caused by them being exposed to gases caused by the fire in the landfill.

The areas most affected by the forest fires in Guatemala include the departments of Escuintla and Peten, as well as the capital region of Guatemala City.

A Total of 44 Forest Fires Are Raging Across Guatemala, President Bernardo Arevalo Revealed

Arevalo noted that 80% of the fires burning across Guatemala were started by people, including farmers who often burn stubble and grass in their fields so that they could plant their crops. This has resulted in 44 forest fires burning across the country.

By declaring a state of calamity, Bernardo Arevalo has essentially freed up funding so that the government can take care of these forest fires. giving firefighters much-needed resources to combat the flames, according to the Associated Press.

However, it was noted that Guatemalan authorities are not very accustomed to dealing with forest fires, as the country is much more used to dealing with its restive volcanoes than flames caused by farmers trying to clear land for their crops.

Guatemala Dealing With Forest Fires Since February

Last February, forest fires were also raging across Guatemala, including the area near the slopes of the inactive Agua volcano, prompting authorities to evacuate the people living near the affected area.

Around 14 forest fires were recorded to have burned through the country during that time, with fires burning hectares of forested areas across different regions of Guatemala.

While this latest forest fire may have been manmade, forest fires have increasingly become more common in Guatemala, especially in the period between November to June, which is considered the country's dry season. Some of these forest fires are also admittedly manmade, according to the Tico Times.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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