Mexico officials say 99% of forest fires are human-caused

by Americas - Featured NewsFeatured NewsWildland Fire

Mexico agencies set 2026 actions on forest fires

Environmental authorities met to strengthen prevention, coordination and response to forest fires in Mexico.

Mexico Business News reported that the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) convened the Interinstitutional Group for Fire Management through the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR).

Alicia Bárcena, Minister, SEMARNAT, said the country has active coordination among 36 agencies including public security, civil protection, the armed forces, academia and state governments.

During the meeting, participating agencies agreed actions for 2026 including increasing ground and aerial operational capacity, improving monitoring and available information, reinforcing prevention of agricultural burning, expanding training and participation of brigades including the student community, and strengthening public prevention messaging.

Fire statistics and programme development in mexico

CONAFOR stated that in Mexico 99% of forest fires are of human origin.

Between 2018 and 2024, the country recorded an average of 7,137 forest fires per year, affecting an average area of 802,345 ha annually.

Around 31% of these fires were linked to agricultural activities associated with land-use change, with an average of 2,208 fires per year in that category during the period.

Bárcena said the Fire Management Program 2026–2050 is under development and aims to transition toward a more preventive, comprehensive and long-term sustainable management model.

Bárcena said: “Prevention, preparedness, and early coordination save ecosystems and protect lives,”

CONAFOR figures show 198 forest fires have been recorded in Mexico so far this year, affecting a total area of 5,443 ha.

Morelos reported 23 incidents, Michoacan reported 22 and Jalisco reported 21.

CONAFOR identified causes including 27.78% intentionally set, 15.66% linked to agricultural activities and 8.59% linked to livestock activities, with 34.85% not yet determined.

International response and local outreach work

Mexico Business News reported that Bárcena said Mexico has supported Chile and Canada by deploying Mexican firefighters to assist with large-scale forest fires.

Bárcena said: “Over the past two years, 525 firefighters and specialized technical personnel from CONAFOR have participated in international assistance efforts, which reflects the prestige Mexico holds internationally in fire management,”

SEMARNAT reported that a contingent of 145 firefighters and fire management specialists deployed to Chile, transported starting on Jan. 21, carried out actions including 8,390 m of firebreak construction, 2,803 m of direct suppression and control, 4,384 m of hotspot extinguishment, and 47,745 m of perimeter surveillance and hotspot tracking.

As part of fire prevention work and sustainable forest management within the framework of the Michoacan Plan for Peace and Justice, CONAFOR held outreach meetings in Michoacan to present the 2026 Operating Rules of the Sustainable Forestry Development for Wellbeing Program to landowners with forest resources.

The sessions presented the programme’s six components as Community Forest Management and Value Chains, Commercial Forest Plantations, Forest Restoration, Environmental Services, Forest Protection, and Capacity Building and Local Development.

Chilean authorities declared a state of catastrophe in the Biobío and Ñuble regions, where fires have burned approximately 20,000–24,000 ha and displaced more than 20,000 people.

US aviation soldiers assist with Kosovo wildfires

by Featured NewsIndustry SectorsWildland Fire

Aviation Soldiers assigned to Kosovo Force’s Regional Command-East have been working together since their arrival in the region to enhance their aerial firefighting capabilities.

They have assisted in combatting wildfires utilising the force’s crew chiefs, pilots, command staff and the Soldiers who perform maintenance on the Bambi buckets used to drop massive amounts of water to extinguish large fires.

2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment of the Virginia National Guard, implemented training to bring their aviation crews up to standard and certify anyone who has never used the Bambi bucket. Crews use local lakes for training, and even after Soldiers are certified, the aviation teams continue to train because a call to fight a fire can come in at any second.

Kosovo is prone to wildfires due to farmers participating in agricultural burning to cultivate fields and clear stubble, weeds, and waste, for the continued production of crops. If these fires are not kept under control, they have the potential to turn into larger fires that threaten Kosovo villages and forest habitats.

Chief Warrant Officer 3 Darrell Busquets, the battalion standardisations instructor pilot assigned to Bravo Company, said: “Before our pre-mobilization, we got word that there were Bambi buckets here in Kosovo and that KFOR 29 fought fires up in the western side of Kosovo during their rotation.”

He added: “That prompted us to put our aviators through Bambi bucket qualifications. Once we got into Kosovo, we continued to keep current on the Bambi bucket operations. The training makes our crews more cohesive when we get called to do real life operations.”

NFCC urges UK fire services to prepare for future wildfires

by ActiveFeatured News

NFCC lead wildfire tactical advisor David Swallow, who is also group commander for Hereford and Worcester Fire Service, has urged UK fire services to undergo wildfire training as the number of wildfire incidents in the country has already almost doubled from 247 across the whole of 2021 to 442 in England and Wales in the year to date.

In an interview with the BBC, Swallow said that the recent heatwave has caused large parts of the country to become ‘bone dry’ and that services need to recognise the risk that is now facing them. “If they don’t, then they’re naïve,” he said.

The wildfire group that Swallow leads brings together members and expertise from firefighters in predominantly rural areas which are more susceptible to wildfires including Northumberland, South Wales, the Peak District and Wiltshire.

Swallow said that every fire service in the UK should have wildfire training in order to teach forces valuable tactics from firefighters more familiar with tackling blazes on grasslands, on moors and in woods.

He said that his wildfire group had for some time been preparing for the increased risk of wildfires from climate change but that the risk was now “immediate”.

He added: “There are very urban services that think that wildfires are low down on the risk list. I understand the need to prioritise resources, but there needs to be a review.”