A very large forest fire was recorded on the night of this Sunday, December 24th, and thus the city of Maracay received a “warm Christmas” as a result of the fire in the Henri Pittier national park.
lapatilla.com correspondent
According to the report in the X account of the ONG ‘Sembramos Todos’, the fire apparently started in ‘La Pedrera’, a neighborhood in northeastern Maracay and advanced towards the Palmarito ridge.
“Christmas came to Maracay with the first major forest fire in Henri Pittier. It seems to have started in La Pedrera and is already close to the Palmarito ridge (farther north-east). The arsonists, as always, knew how to choose the date well to attack the park. It was definitely provoked,” they published.
Likewise, they indicated that the heat of the day does not cause brush fires, since temperatures must exceed way above 200°C to spontaneously ignite, which is why they assure that more than 90% of fires are either accidental or provoked and of human origin.
The governor of the state, Karina Carpio reported that 250 hectares have been razed by the flames and attributed the incident to climate change.
Junto a los organismos del sistema de Riesgo, estamos activando la Operación Llovizna en el Parque Nacional Henri Pittier, mi reconocimiento al voluntariado que se encuentran junto a los funcionarios y funcionarias trabajando, siguiendo instrucciones del Pdte. @NicolasMaduro pic.twitter.com/uHwvQqKqh5
— Karina Carpio (@Soykarinacarpio) December 25, 2023
“Around 250 hectares have been attacked in our park (…) climate change is undeniable, it has caused a large effect in our state,” the officer said in a video posted on social networks.
Ground teams used hand tools while helicopters collaborated from the air.
By nightfall they had controlled 90% of the fire, according to Vice Minister Carlos Pérez Ampueda.
#25Dic | Efectivos del SNGR continúan combate vía aérea con la Operación Llovizna y cuerpo a cuerpo con herramientas manuales, el incendio forestal que se registra desde este domingo #24Dic en el Parque Nacional Henri Pittier, Edo. Aragua. Controlado en 90 %. pic.twitter.com/5E33XbDADF
— VGRPC (@Vgrpc_MIJP) December 25, 2023
