Emergency declared due to fires in the Peruvian departments of Amazonas, San Martin and Ucayali

( Spanish) –– The Peruvian government declared a state of emergency on Wednesday in three of the country’s 26 regions, the departments of Amazonas, San Martín and Ucayali, due to the fires affecting the country, President Dina Boluarte reported.

During a message to the media, Boluarte said that this decision was taken during the session of the Council of Ministers in order to address the problem in these places.

According to the president, 238 fires were recorded in these departments, of which 80% have already been controlled.

As of Tuesday, the fire had killed 16 people in Peru, according to authorities.

Peru is not the only Latin American country facing problems with fires this year. Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia and Chile are also facing similar situations and have had to mobilize firefighters and civil protection bodies.