On Wednesday evening, President Dina Boluarte of Peru declared a state of emergency in three regions of the country that have been impacted by a series of wildfires, which have ravaged thousands of hectares of forest, as reported by local media on Thursday.
As per these sources, the National Institute of Civil Defense has documented 34 active wildfires that have led to 16 fatalities and injured 140 individuals since July.
President Boluarte voiced her concern that “a significant percentage of the more than 230 wildfires recorded in recent days are of human origin, likely stemming from ancestral cultural practices intended to prepare land for cultivation and to expand agricultural boundaries.”
She mentioned that approximately 80% of these fires are now under control but urged farming communities to refrain from igniting grasslands.
The three most affected regions—San Martin, Ucayali, and Amazonas—pose challenges for firefighting aircraft due to difficult atmospheric conditions, according to the president.
