In the conference that took place in the Executive Tower, the pressing situation regarding the risk of forest fires throughout the country was explained. According to reports, the main causes of the situation are the water deficit, the gusts of strong winds and the high temperatures that these days have exceeded 40 degrees in the center of the country.
The Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Fernando Mattos, stressed that “the attitude of the people and the commitment of the people is essential to avoid the occurrence of episodes that we can all come to regret,” he said, alluding to the great weight that the human factor has had in the more than 40 wildfires and field fires that have taken place so far this summer.
Mattos assured that the weather is creating a situation that increases the risk of forest fires due to the lack of rain and this causes a lack of moisture in the soil. The Minister recounted a case to demonstrate the fragile nature of the situation: “we have had episodes like the one these days in Florida of a 300-hectare field fire generated by an electrified cable that makes land,” Matos reported.
For his part, the representative of Inumet, Yamandú Morán reported on a discouraging panorama: “unfortunately we do not have very good news in terms of weather forecasting.” Morán explained that “in terms of forecasts, the expected rainfall is very scarce and almost always punctual.”
Ricardo Riaño, National Director of Firefighters summarized the panorama: “just yesterday we had 11 relevant interventions to which are added those of less importance. Day by day we have worked hard with our staff to contain the fires that have started and in no more than 48 hours we have established control of those fires” explained the fire chief “and added that through inter-institutional work “the system has been working with total success because there was no regret for a single injured person and of course not a single loss of human life that above all else what we prioritize”.
The hierarchs called on citizens to give notice through 911 in the event that imprudence is detected and I know that Decree 436 will apply in all its terms that establishes 12 months in prison to 16 years in prison for the perpetrators.
