A few days ago, a group of farmers from the Ancash region recorded a call for help, while holding with sheets the burned body of a 36-year-old man who had tried to put out a forest fire in the Pampas district, but who unfortunately was caught by the flames. In the Amazon rainforest, in the Lamud district, for more than a week an uncontrollable fire has devastated 10,000 hectares of forest and destroyed some archaeological heritage. In Junín, a firefighting unit was caught trying to put out the tongues of fire with tree branches, risking their lives. These are just three snapshots of a wave of forest fires that has unleashed a nationwide crisis in 20 regions of Peru.
The impact has been devastating: fifteen people have died, 155 have been injured and 1,876 have been affected. Around 1,495.33 hectares of crops have been lost, another 1,264.85 have been damaged. And if that were not enough, 2,257.96 hectares of natural cover have been destroyed. As expected, the damage to fauna is equally devastating: 4,347 animals have been injured and affected and it is not known for certain how many have died. According to the National Institute of Civil Defense (Indeci), during 2024, 233 forest fires have been recorded, of which 179 have been extinguished and twenty-two have been controlled.
In August, the hot spots were concentrated with greater incidence in the mountain and jungle regions. In Ucayali, for example, 611 hot spots were detected; in Huánuco, 365; followed by Junín, with 354. In recent weeks, as could be seen through satellite images, the smoke blankets were directed with greater intensity towards the high and low jungle of Peru. Megafires The fires are advancing uncontrolled and have once again revealed the State’s limited capacity to confront them, beyond some actions such as that of the Air Force aircraft that recently dropped 10,000 liters of water to put out a fire in the Ayabaca district, in the Piura region. “We have made seven aircraft available (three planes and four helicopters) to deal with the emergency,” reported Carlos Chávez Cateriano, commander general of the Air Force, this weekend.
Local authorities have been imploring for weeks that the Executive declare a state of emergency at the national level in order to deal with the crisis. However, the Government of Dina Boluarte has stated, through the head of her cabinet, that it is not yet necessary. “We must call on the population and the authorities to remain calm. More than 60% of the forest fires have already been extinguished. There are some that are still active (…) But there are still no critical reasons for a state of emergency,” said Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzén. Regarding the possibility of being assisted by other countries, he added: “In Peru we do not need international help for now. If it becomes necessary, do not doubt that we will do it.”
In recent days, President Dina Boluarte has been heavily criticized for having actively participated in the funeral of autocrat Alberto Fujimori while various regions were in flames. On Monday, Boluarte traveled to the Amazonas region to supervise the affected areas, coordinate efforts and ensure logistical and humanitarian support. Boluarte was the protagonist of a striking incident. A journalist, who days before cried during one of her reports while complaining about the inaction of the Executive, told her that “his tears had traveled internationally” to obtain her presence. Immediately, Boluarte responded: “I do not need your tears, sir. We are here attending to you.”
“The journalist, in tears, cried for help, explaining how the fire was raging in the face of the Government’s inaction. Shame and discredit is what Dina Boluarte has done with the presidency of Peru. It is her own actions that generate the repudiation of everyone,” said Congresswoman Ruth Luque. According to the National Meteorological and Hydrological Service (Senamhi), temperatures are expected to decrease in the mountains and the eastern zone in the coming days. Light to moderate rainfall is also expected in the mountains and jungle. In the last few hours, 8,751 hot spots have been detected.
While experts explain that the reduction in precipitation, the lack of rain, the dryness of the environment and the strength and direction of the wind contribute to the proliferation of fires, they also point out that many are caused by the hand of man, who burns his land to start a new crop. In this regard, last year Congress approved regulatory changes in the Forestry Law that allow property owners to not need authorization from the competent agencies to burn their forests and convert them into crop areas. In addition, said owners are exempt from the obligation to carry out soil studies to demonstrate that their actions are not carried out on forest or protected lands, which would prevent their exploitation. In other words, in addition to global warming, the crisis could also have been triggered by powerful men employing small farmers to cause illegal fires due to their interests.
The accusations also point to the current Minister of the Environment, Juan Carlos Castro Vargas, who approved the new regulations for the agricultural sector, published last June, which give large companies a period of one year to regularize their economic activities and become authorized. “The Ministry of the Environment is a technical institution that, as its name indicates, must concentrate its efforts on protecting the environment and not supporting investments at the cost of irreparable damage,” says a source in the sector who prefers to remain anonymous. Peru is going through a climate crisis and awaits a solid response from its authorities to save its forests.
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