Jalisco has 1,958 forest firefighters from 191 separate brigades belonging to all three levels of government (municipal, state and federal), as well as civil society, ready to be deployed to fight forest fires that may break out during the current dry season, which will run through mid-June.
In total, 221 specialized vehicles are available to battle wildfires, along with five helicopters, two owned by the state government, and the others by the Zapopan, Tlajomulco and Guadalajara governments.
Announcing his wildfire strategy for 2024, Jalisco Governor Enrique Alfaro reflected on last year’s brutal dry season, which he said ran for “45 weeks,” with “unprecedented temperatures,” along with “inexplicable acts of nature,” compounded by “fires started by people for reasons only they understand.”
Alfaro said the situation so far this year is more encouraging, with fewer early season fires reported. At the current time—week 10 of the dry season—102 wildfires have been reported, compared to 249 at the same date last year. Only 1,800 hectares have been affected, compared with 8,300 in 2023, he added.
To report wildfires in Jalisco, contact the Semadet Environmental Agency at 333-030 8280 or through WhatsApp, or via the @ReporteForestal Facebook and X accounts.