The forest fire in Santiago, Nuevo León, was fully controlled after five days of work

The forest fire that occurred last Monday, March 14 in the municipality of Santiago, Nuevo León, was completely controlled after five days of mitigation work in which the three government orders participated, said Civil Protection of that entity.

The accident originated in the area known as Las Adjuntas and consumed 215 hectares. According to the governor of Nuevo León, Samuel García, the fire was caused by a garbage burn that was not controlled in due course, so it began to spread in the area where the adult pines were located.

Since last Monday, Civil Protection announced that this area was restricted exclusively to emergency units, after the state government immediately activated the Phoenix Brigade, responsible for suppressing fires.

Initially, the municipalities of Santiago, Santa Catarina, Allende, Hidalgo and Montemorelos were integrated into the mitigation work. By the end of Monday's day, 50 hectares had been consumed.

Subsequently, personnel of the National Forestry Commission (Conafor), the National Guard and the Ministry of National Defense were integrated, totaling a total of 90 brigade members. On Tuesday the 15th, another 30 were integrated and a helicopter from La Sedena was made available that had a helicopter bucket (a bag where water is transported, with a capacity of 1,000 to 1,500 liters) and another from the National Water Commission (Conagua).

However, due to the rapid spread and the gusts of wind that occurred in recent days, the fire could not be fully controlled, so another 150 brigade members joined on Tuesday afternoon and the support of two Mi-17 helicopters was requested. Likewise, the Civil Protection of San Nicolás and Salinas Victoria was integrated.

At the end of the second day, the mayor of the municipality of Santiago, David de la Peña, reported that 40 percent of the fire had been controlled and up to that time more than 350 brigades, fire personnel and members of Friends of the Sierra and Mauricios Brigade participated.

In addition, some baseball fields were set up as helibases for refueling aircraft. Until Wednesday, 16, there were four aircraft carrying out air strikes to control the fire: two Mi-17 helicopters, one Bell 212 and another one from the GN.

Civil Protection personnel from the municipalities of Escobedo, General Teran, Pesqueria and San Pedro joined the work, as well as the ejidos of Corral de Piedra and Portero Redondo. At the end of day four, 45 per cent had been controlled and up to that point 90 hectares had been consumed in the mixed pine area.

It was not until the fifth day that the fire was controlled at 100 percent. In total, 15 municipalities and five ejidos participated (together with the staff of the Mexican Air Force).

It should be recalled that, in March 2021, there was also a fire in the Sierra de Santiago that affected 8,500 hectares. Finally, Civil Protection reported that 9 out of 10 forest fires are caused by human causes, so it is recommended to avoid throwing cigarette butts, building fires in natural and wooded areas and burning garbage in vacant lots or pastures. If you notice a fire, you can report to 9-1-1.

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