Fire in the Sierra de Santiago, Nuevo León: families were evacuated

Civil Protection of the state of Nuevo León reported that due to the forest fire that is advancing in the Sierra de Santiago, families from Potrero Redondo have been evacuated from the area due to the amount of smoke in the natural area.

Through a thread on Twitter, the institution explained that “weather conditions with gusts exceeding 50 kilometers per hour forced the brigades that fight the forest fire in Santiago to retreat.”

In addition, it was indicated that 57 families with 120 people living in the village located in the affected site have been evicted preventively. For the time being, the families have been transferred to the hostel that the authorities set up at the Cola de Caballo hotel.

The coordination and organization to relocate all these people is being carried out with the help of the Ministry of National Defense (SEDENA), as well as the support of the National Guard and municipal Civil Protection units.

In the publication of the social network they announced that the “fire is progressing in a way that has rapidly affected the area of Potrero Redondo at the height of the Matacanes canyon towards Potrero Redondo. Access to Las Adjuntas is kept closed, there is only access to emergency units.”

Although the mobilizations have begun from the Matacanes Village to Las Adjuntas by the specialists, after a monitoring it has been declared that, according to weather reports, wind conditions will be maintained over the weekend. This information is alarming because these factors significantly limit and affect attempts to counter fire.

It was also added that the Phoenix Brigade, the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), Civil Protection of the García, Monterrey, Montemorelos, Santa Catarina and Juárez sites, as well as the Guadalupe Firefighters and Community Brigades have joined forces to provide assistance to the affected population and the situation of the fire.

Regarding the problems facing Santiago, the Ministry of the Environment of the government of Nuevo León filed on Thursday, March 24, 2022, a criminal complaint with the Attorney General's Office (FGR) against the person or persons who are responsible for the natural disaster facing the Sierra located in the north of the country, since it has been reported that around 190 hectares of forest have been severely affected.

This action was carried out because an official statement from the state government underlined that the accident, which began last March 14 in Las Adjuntas, was allegedly caused by the clandestine burning of garbage.

Soon authorities mobilized to counter the fire and even Governor Samuel García announced on March 19 that the incident had already been fully controlled. He also took the opportunity to specify that investigations would begin to find the culprits.

“We are filing a complaint of facts about the forest fire in Las Adjuntas, in the Mauricios ejido, in Santiago, Nuevo León; a criminal complaint to be investigated and proceeded accordingly.”

For his part, Environment Secretary Alfonso Martínez commented: “The Penal Code establishes that anyone who starts a forest fire, either voluntarily or involuntarily, can have a sentence of two to ten years, which increases because it is a natural protected area.”

He added to his intervention that since February 9, the Government of the State established a decree prohibiting the burning of garbage and campfires. One of the reasons why such a decree was imposed is that the Sierra de Santiago has long been the victim, on several occasions, of such disasters.

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