Peru declares state of emergency over deadly forest fires

BOGOTA, Colombia

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte declared a state of emergency Wednesday in three regions of the country where a wave of forest fires has been spreading and destroying thousands of hectares of woodland.

The National Institute of Civil Defense has reported 34 active forest fires that have killed 16 people and left 140 injured since July. The livestock sector was also reported to have lost 337 animals.

Boluarte regretted that a large percentage of the more than 230 forest fires recorded in recent days were human-caused, probably by ancestral cultural practices to prepare the land for cultivation and expand agricultural frontiers.

She said some 80% of these were "controlled" but asked farming communities to stop burning grasslands.

The three most affected regions are San Martin, Ucayali and Amazonas, where the president said it is difficult for aircraft to enter to put out the fires from the air due to the complicated atmospheric conditions.

“Count on us. You are not alone. But let us not cause more fires,” she said.

More than 5,000 hectares (12,355 acres) have been scorched by the flames, and several cities in the country have run out of water in what experts say is one of the worst droughts in more than a decade. Boluarte said that 20 tons of humanitarian aid have already been sent to Iquitos to address a water shortage caused by a lack of rain.