AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Belize Life Living in Belize Fire Season 2020

The rains visited the west, the weather and wind changed and now Belize City is suffering from the heavy smoke in the air since about midnight Thursday night. Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker are being affected by the smoke too. There was bad smoke up north in Sarteneja overnight without any local fire. Rumor is bad fire at Bacalar Chico north of Ambergris. Or maybe its from the southern Yucatan as the wind has come round to the North East.

==============

Belizeans, particularly in the north, were woken up by the strong smell of smoke during the early hours before sunrise today. It seems that as the winds shifted to the north east last night they carried smoke from wild fires in Mexico down to the country.

Reports are that there are uncontrollable wild fires producing huge smoke waves in Colo�a Diego Rojas, Bacalar, Mexico. Residents of the area are battling with extinguishing the blaze. The smoke is causing much respiratory problems as there are more fires like these in the surrounding areas. Heavy smoke blankets the state of Quintana Roo and neighboring Chetumal City across the border.





Ambergris Today

==================

Aerial Fire Management Update (5:00a.m.) - While the Ministry of Environment assesses countrywide status for further action, the airplanes are at this moment deployed in Belmopan once more attacking the smouldering fires (lit by arsonists yesterday) before they start flaring from the midday heat and humidity.

The rain forecast for today is being monitored in other parts of the country.
Protected Areas Conservation Trust

Smoke continues in Belmopan

Residents of Belmopan continue to complain about smoke which blankets their areas and are now causing health effects such as headaches, difficulty breathing and nausea. While an SI has been enacted to stop burning, and cropdusters have been called in to extinguish bush fires, the relief has been very temporary.



The Reporter

Belmopan's fire chief speaks about forest fires

Yesterday Love News spoke with several residents in Belmopan who are among dozens who have been enduring the heavy smoke due to forest fires. Our Cayo Correspondent, Fem Cruz reached out to Belmopan's Fire Chief, Philip Mencias, to get an insight into how the fire service is managing their response to forest fires as well as other situations they have had to deal with in recent months.



LoveFM

======================

Forest Fires Killed Animals, Destroyed Habitats

The rains last week doused the huge fires that were burning out of control in the Vaca and Chiquibul forest in the west. The damage, however, was already done. Huge areas of the forests were destroyed, several animals were killed and their habitats destroyed. The fires in the Vaca forest and along the western border are believed to have been caused by Guatemalan farmers. Friends for Conservation and Development, under the leadership of Rafael Manzanero, has been fighting the fires in an attempt to lessen the damage. Manzanero says the process to assess the damage to wildlife has begun.

Rafael Manzanero, Executive Director, F.C.D.

"As far as we know the fires were basically already off after the rains. We did do aerial over flight right around that very same time we certainly were able to validate and confirm that the fires, the smoke were basically already off. That also included the Chiquibul, the Caracol areas as well. We were able to find some of the, or at least a few of the animals and their habitats that were impacted in the Chiquibul primarily. So for sure animals were displaced. We don't really to what extent because in reality we still really need to zone off the area to look at the area of impact however we do know that we saw for example a bush rabbit in the Chiquibul that was burnt and for sure other nesting areas of birds and other smalls animals were certainly been affected. We don't really know the extent of that. It is really difficult to say for biodiversity in terms of impact. But we would try at least to look at the zone, any particular areas that were highly impacted at least really to get an idea and a sort of an approximation of the losses."

Channel 5

===================

Situation in Santa Elena taken at 6pm Tuesday and on the road from Belmopan! Heavy, dangerous smoke that is so thick you can smell it and taste it. Imagine the sheer volume of particulate matter we are inhaling, deep into our lungs, ever day and night for weeks at a time , with only 1-2 days reprieve over the last month!

The Health of 10s of thousands being impacted by a few who insist on lighting fires during this pandemic and who seem to not understand that we are in a drought and that smoke is harmful to all of us, including them!

At this point , the new fire regulations are insufficient to stop this practice because it requires that arsonist and persons lighting fires are caught in the act or that the authorities can prove that the person started the fire; as a result , I haven't read of a single person being charged under the new regs. In fact, the number of fires seem to have increased.

Perhaps it is time, during this SOE at least, for the legislation to contemplate having the landowner be liable for fires on their property, regardless of who may have started it. Maybe this would result in a curbing of this ridiculous and unrelenting smoke situation. Nothing else seems to help. Instead, we suffer day in, day out!

Wildfires in the West - the Burning Continues!

For the past two weeks we have been reporting on a spate of forest fires across Belize. Many of those fires are concentrated in the western part of the country. While the Forest Department has a new law-with heavy fines attached-that prohibits burning outside, there are still many fires recorded around the country. This week, there were a number of fires off the hydro road, some two or so miles outside of Arenal. Those fires have been burning through farm lands, destroying crops and buildings that farmers have invested in. A group of Benque Viejo residents are trying to help, but as we found out today, it is no easy task. Here's the story.

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

Seventy-five-year-old Benigno Vanegas is assessing the damage to his farm today. Two nights ago, wildfires reached his land. It wiped out most of his crops; other farming investments and housing material. It's a loss that Vanegas couldn't avoid because fires have been burning all around his property for several days. It's the worst he has seen in the more than sixty years that he has been farming this land.

Benigno Vanegas, Farmer

"Well, here, fire has destroyed more than twenty-five acres of my land, yes. I didn't have any help to control the fire, so I couldn't put it out. So, we were only able to protect the ranch."

�and that's what this group of Benque Viejo residents has been trying to do - to protect the forests and farm lands in this area. But the impacts are trickling into the residential areas - with the smoke creating a haze over towns just a few miles away. But poor visibility is only one part of it - residents are also suffering in their homes from the smoke inhalation - making it a health issue, as well. And all these factors have pushed these volunteers to take action. Mario Hernandez of Benque is the team leader.

Mario Hernandez, Resident, Benque Viejo del Carmen

"I got sad because I see a lot of smoke. The town is full of smoke. A lot of people have asthma. They can't breathe and it is very bad because pollution will kill you. Maybe not now but in the long term it will affect your lungs. But this is sad because a lot of wildlife and green life is being wiped out completely. But Belize needs to control those fires."

But these volunteers don't have the proper equipment to tackle these big fires - just some basic tools like machetes, rakes and hand pumps, that they have been using to put out the flames and create fire breaks in the area for the past ten days. The fires move slowly on a regular day but when there is wind, it catches easily and moves rapidly. The dry vegetation and high temperatures increase the duration and number of fires. Hernandez and his volunteers know this first hand - he says it is a risky job to control these flames.

Mario Hernandez

"Fire is running slow, but it is wiping everything that's in its way."

Andrea Polanco

"What is it like to create a fire pass or trying to put out these flames?"

Mario Hernandez

"Some people might say it is easy making a fire line, but it is pretty hard because it is virgin jungle and people might have on the farm but they didn't clean to the back of the farm. It is very dangerous and risky. You meet flames up to thirty-forty feet high. Trees are burning and sometimes you ask God help me. God is our only shield and our only protection because we don't have special equipment. We don't have anything; only machete, rake and that's it and so God is our protector here."

The thick smoke in the air makes it difficult to breathe and the heat from the land burning up makes it almost unbearable. Just about every area that has burnt through has hot spots, smoldering stumps and destroyed vegetation. While the impacts of these fires are yet to be fully quantified, Hernandez says that farmers alone have lost thousands of dollars - as he estimates that some three to four hundred acres have been ravaged by the flames.

Mario Hernandez

"Couple three hundred and fifty to four hundred acres of land have burnt in all the farms together. You can see these bushes, the mountain back here, maybe one fourth of it is alive and three fourths of it has been burnt. This guy owned a hundred acres and maybe that hundred acres gone- and so when you start to count and estimate everything it is a lot of acres that have been burnt. A lot of pastures have been lost; farmers have lost their plantations; guys have lost their little houses; guys have lost their fences; everything. It is very sad; very, very sad."

Hernandez and his team will continue to put out fires and create fire-lines in the area. They are looking for volunteers who can assist on the ground and others who can donate equipment and other materials. Reporting for News Five, I'm Andrea Polanco.

We'll have more from today's trip in our newscast on Thursday night. In the meantime, if you can help the residents, they are looking for volunteers and other forms of help, you can call Mario Hernandez at 624-4660.

Channel 5

Fire! Fire! Western Belize is on fire!

Tonight, we share more from our trip out west to cover the fires that have been consuming large plots of farmlands and virgin forested areas.� A small group of concerned Benque Viejo residents have taken it upon themselves to try to out the fires and create fire lines to prevent the spread and occurrence of new fires. While it is believed that the fires are as a result of agricultural activities, the weather conditions may also be playing a role in the numbers and severity of these large blazes. Here's the story.

Andrea Polanco, Reporting

For several days fires have been burning through the forest and farmlands along the hydro road in the Cayo District. This is just a few miles outside of Arenal village. Benque resident Mario Hernandez leads a small group of concerned residents who are working to extinguish fires and create fire breaks in the area to try to curb the wildfires. But despite working for ten days, Hernandez is worried that the fires are slowly inching closer to densely populated communities.

Mario Hernandez, Resident, Benque Viejo del Carmen

"My fear is that, we are maybe two miles or a mile and a half from town. And Benque is surrounded by live bush, live nature. So, if this fire continues heading towards our town, it might wipe some of the houses that are around the community that had wildlife around their yards. So, let's be careful with what we are doing."

As you travel along the hydro road, most of the vegetation show signs of the times - they are brown and dry because of the heat and reduced water in the soil. And then there are acres and acres of scorched land that the fires have swept through and destroyed - taking with it everything that it touches - including materials for farmers to use for repairs and other cultivation purposes. Farmer Benigno Vanegas knows this first hand after some of his land was destroyed by the fire.

Benigno Vanegas, Farmer

"Well, here, fire has destroyed more than twenty-five acres of my land, yes. �I need sticks. I need vines. I need cohune leaves. And now that is burnt down, where will I get the thatch to repair the ranch? I no longer have because it has all been destroyed. Because fire, you know, is a destroyer; they are destructive. And my father taught me that we must protect the forest because it gives us life."

While people in the area believe that there are optimal conditions for forest fires at this time of the year, they say they there are farmers using fire to engage in agricultural activities but they have been unable to control these fires which causes them to go wild and destroy large swathes of forested areas and land under cultivation. Hernandez appeals to those lighting fires, while he calls for help. He says he needs volunteers, protective gears and the proper equipment to tackle the fires.

Mario Hernandez

"The old guys are use to chop a little bush; make a fire line and burn. But this fire got out of control and it was too hot. There was too much sun heat and a lot of leaves are dry.�� People, please, if you are going to burn farms, make sure you make a nice fire line because fire is running. As you can see, we are here and we are going to go and make a fire line for this bush so that it doesn't continue.� We need people with courage and people who know what they are doing. This thing is risky and dangerous. You can lose your life in these fires or maybe you can get burned.� I am very frustrated and very sad and concerned about what is happening in my hometown because it affects a lot in the community."

Channel 5

Completion of fire-fighting activities

With the recent heavy downpours over most of the country, the many fires that were creating unbearably smokey conditions in the western and central municipalities of the country are now extinguished. This brings to an end the weeks of firefighting effort by the Forest Department, the Fire Department, the Town and City Councils, and many other partner organizations. The Ministry of Fisheries, Forestry, the Environment and Sustainable Development, through valuable financial support from the Protected Areas Conservation Trust (PACT), the Belize Electricity Company Limited (BECOL), and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), was able to invest significantly in the use of aerial firefighting to help to control the unprecedented wildfires that raged through the Cayo District.

The use of airtankers in aerial firefighting proved to be successful in controlling smoke, when combined with continued ground support, and is therefore considered to have been a worthwhile investment to safeguard public health and property. Fires that posed high to medium risk to human health were extinguished and hazardous smoke suppressed using aerial support, resulting in an immediate improvement in air quality. During the flights, the pilots were also able to extinguish wildfires threatening three residential structures with certain destruction. However, continued illegal and irresponsible use of fire by members of the public posed a threat to the progress made.

In total, 187 water bombing flights were flown over the Cayo District by two aircrafts, and countless hours of on-the-ground fire mopping-up exercises were conducted on live and smouldering fires. With respect to the largest forest fire in the Vaca Forest Reserve, on-the-ground efforts were underway for several consecutive days led by the Forest Department, with financial support from the Protected Areas Conservation Trust. Smaller fires threatening the communities of Arenal and Benque were fought valiantly by community groups, NGOs, and the Fire Department. At the very end, these fires were finally extinguished by torrential rains that poured directly over the area.

As has been reported, several of these fires were as a result of agricultural work by farmers that eventually escaped into wildfires that burned rapidly through the forest as a result of extremely low relative humidity, high day-time temperatures, and strong winds. The public is reminded to avoid engaging in any fireprone activities as once started, the fires can become uncontrollable as they expand, and will once again become a health threat/hazard to residential areas.

The collaboration between the Ministry and PACT allowed for PACT's financial contribution to boost the ongoing efforts towards successful results for the benefit of the Belizean populace. The PACT financed the aerial intervention of last week as well as helped to finance the Forest Department's groundwork in the Vaca Forest, all in support of the mutual objective of conserving biodiversity in protected areas and human health.

The Ministry and PACT wish to acknowledge the proactive work and resources coordinated by community members, local agencies, and the Forest Department staff and are also grateful to Airmax Ltd. of Spanish Lookout for their excellent service.

The Ministry, via the Forest Department, will continue implementing its fire monitoring plan as the fire season continues while the Department of the Environment is currently formulating more stringent and long-term legislative actions to prevent a reoccurrence of these unprecedented fires.

Putting Out Forest Fires, A Team Effort

Over the past 2 weeks, we've been reporting on the wildfires that were wreaking havoc in the Cayo District, and smoking out major communities nearby. Well, a joint press release from all the organizations involved in the fight against these fires, says that the situation is under control, for now.

That release notes that downpour over the weekend brings an end to the weeks of firefighting effort by the Forest Department, the Fire Department, the Towns, and City Councils many other partner organizations, including PACT, BECOL, and several conservation NGO's.

This afternoon, we got an opportunity to speak with a spokesperson for the National Fire Service about the important role that this department played in putting out these devastating wildfires:

Kenneth Mortis, Station Supervisor, National Fire Service
"It was a coordinate effort like you justly aid, but luckily we got in under control before it could have created more damage than what it actually did. In terms of equipment-wise it is no secret our trucks are old and we have mechanics working on our trucks day in day out across the country. Luckily for us we teamed up with a bunch of volunteers from Cayo and then we can go down south in Punta Gorda and other NGO's assisted us with water bowsers and so forth to continuously supply our trucks with water, not just water because we actually had to physically put in the work in terms of machete and rakes and beaters and the whole nine yards. It was a physical demanding task, but once you sign up as a firefighter this is part of what comes with the territory, you're not just going to have an easy day doing structural firefighting, you're not going to have an easy day responding to an RTA. You're going to have a full days' work whereby you would be sweating and you really will be putting physical labour trying to contain these violent fires. However, the cause of these fires some stems from manmade, some stems from the elements of the weather, but at the end of the day it's the fire department that will always get the first call. The forestry department has come onboard and then of course what we are trying to encourage is these municipalities to gets some volunteers. The volunteer system within the municipalities serves as the first response until the national fire service can actually arrive on the location. Wherever these fires happen it's not always going to be 5 minutes away and then these trucks don't take off at a dime and they don't stop on a dime, it is going to take some while to get there and then implement our firefighting strategy."

The use of crop dusters turned air-tankers was successful at controlling the smoke, and when combined with the ground support, it was considered a worthwhile investment to safeguard the public health of the residents of the Cayo District.

A total of 187 water bombing flights were flown over the Cayo District from 2 aircraft. That was accompanied by many hours of ground effort to put out smoldering fires. This was the largest forest fire to take place in the Vaca Forest Reserve, while smaller fires threatened Arenal and Benque Viejo.

Several of these fires were caused by Milpa clearing by farmers, which escaped into wildfires. Those burned rapidly through the forest due to low humidity, high day-time temperatures, and strong winds.

A release says, quote, "The Ministry, via the Forest Department, will continue implementing its fire monitoring plan as the fire season continues while the Department of the Environment is currently formulating more stringent and long-term legislative actions to prevent a reoccurrence of these unprecedented fires." End quote.

Channel 7

Belize's western border after the fires is a desolate area. It is obvious that land conversion by Guatemalans from agricultural farming to cattle ranching is the trend. In the Vaca, Caracol, Chiquibul and Columbia River this is an ever growing concern.
FCD Belize



Using ArcGIS Pro software and the normalized burn ratio methodology, FCD's Conservation Data Manager estimates that approximately 2,032 acres was impacted in the Caracol Archaeological Reserve and another1,876 acres in the Chiquibul National Park as a result of the cross border fires. The furthest documented fire was 3.1 km inside Belize.

Rivers of White Ash in the Vaca Forest

Friends for Conservation and Development, F.C.D., has been battling for the preservation and conservation of Belize's forest to the west for many years. For the past few weeks, the environmental group has been challenged with its latest foe, forest fires.� Large portions of the Vaca and Chiquibul forests were destroyed by rampant fire; it also killed animals and destroyed habitats. It is believed that the fire in the Vaca was started by a Guatemalan farmer. The effects can still be seen and F.C.D. board member and photographer Tony Rath captured the damage in a dramatic fashion. �Armed with his lens and camera and accompanied by F.C.D.'s Executive Director Rafael Manzanero and rangers, Rath journeyed to the Vaca Forest Reserve where he saw the devastation from a different perspective. Through his photographs, Rath captured the evidence left by Guatemalan encroachers and follows the story of one particular Guatemalan farmer who was arrested inside Belize.

Tony Rath, Photographer

"When FCD first encountered him they secured him first of all and then they interrogated him. He did mention that he knew he was in Belize and that he really had no choice. I mentioned all of this in the article, he had no choice because most of the land around his village had already been taken over by other farmers or by cattle ranching. He had felt that since maybe half a million he was chopping there was a cattle farm in Belize he felt like it was okay for him to be there and basically he said that he need to farm to support his family. The thing that really got me the most was that a lot of these forests had fallen from the fire and had burnt so hot and so complete that all you fell were rivers of white ash. It almost looked like snow. The forest was still collapsing because we would hear trees falling. Normally you would hear a tree fall once a day or so but we were hearing trees falling every half hour and that is because fires were burning at the base of the tress and eventually burnt through and continue killing tree as the fires burnt through."

Here is Tony's article... Los Esperemos - We Will Wait

Channel 5

The Chiquibul Forest Reserve has recently come under attack by forest fires. Rafael Manzanero, the Executive Director for the Friends for Conservation and Development explained the severity of the destruction caused to the Chiquibul and the Caracol areas in recent weeks.

In addition to the forest fires, the Chiquibul Forest Reserve continues to be the target for Guatemalans who come across to engage in activities such as farming, gold panning and the harvesting xate leaves.



LoveFM