CONAF deems forest fire situation "critical"

SANTIAGO.- Following a red alert in the Maule Region due to forest fires that are affecting some of the municipalities in the area, the director of the National Forest Corporation, Catalina Bau, has assured that high temperatures and a lack of awareness have put the nation in a complex situation regarding forest fires.

“We are facing a critical forest fire situation due to an increase in temperatures”, Bau told Radio ADN while indicating that the majority of such disasters are caused by individuals that intentionally start them.

The CONAF director stated that “99% of the fires are started by people, either through negligence or carelessness, but we are the ones who harm our own natural resources”.

With regards to the areas of the country that have been most affected by the problem, Bau stated that El Maule is precisely where the highest acreage of forest lands have been destroyed, with more 2,400 hectares burned.