Call for international aid  for out-of-control mountain fire

Firefighters, forest brigade members and volunteers resumed their work to extinguish the fire in Cerro Punta, district of Tierras Altas, Chiriquí on Friday, morning May 12, which has so far devastated some five hectares of La Amistad International Park a protected area.

The director in charge of the Fire Department, Ernesto De León said that they are considering various options in order to put out the flames.

One of them is to request international help. “It is an inaccessible area and the inclement weather does not help,” De León said on the AM News from TVN.

At least about 60 people started from 7:00 a.m. the ascent to the mountain to use the firewall technique. “We cannot use equipment, that is, you cannot enter with cars or with another type of vehicle. We are working manually,” admitted the fire chief.

On Thursday afternoon, a helicopter from the National Aeronaval Service began the extinction work by spraying water. But, the place where the water was collected was a bit distant and the strong wind in the area affected the overflight, so the operations were suspended.

The fire started at about 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 10 at the top of the hill. The Ministry of the Environment confirmed on Thursday that the flames entered the La Amistad International Park (PILA) and approximately five hectares have been affected.