1000 wild fires recorded in Berbice within a week

Apr 04, 2024 News

Map showing the fires currently occurring in Guyana. (Photo courtesy, President Irfaan Ali Facebook)

Kaieteur News – With authorities currently battling fires in different sections of the country, during the past week alone (between March 26 and April 2, 2024) approximately 1000 fires have been recorded in Regions Five and Six.

According to information posted on President Irfaan Ali’s Facebook page on Wednesday, during that week the two regions saw the most fires occurring in the country. “The regions with the most fires this week are East Berbice-Corentyne (Region Six) and Mahaica-Berbice (Region Five), which both have around 1000 fires. The regions with the fewest fires this week are Pomeroon-Supenaam, (Region Two) and Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven), which both have less than 200 fires,” the Head of State posted.

Forest fires and wild fires continue to affect Guyana as the current dry season is on. During this week alone, a number of fires have occurred. The Ministry of Home Affairs on Tuesday reported that the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) and Minister Robeson Benn were on-site at Houston, behind John Fernandes Ltd., where firefighters have attended to a grass fire. Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire was deliberately set. On Tuesday night too, the Fire Service team were at a wildfire which affected the Perseverance/Providence area.

The President on Tuesday also said that the joint services had launched a full-scale response to the wildfires that are threatening Santa Aratak village (Region Three). This operation is being coordinated by Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hicken.

On Wednesday, the Fire Service in an update reported that the Joint Services reconnaissance mission embarked on a critical mission to assess the locations of wildfires affecting Regions Three and Four. Kaieteur News understands that the primary objective of the mission was to conduct an aerial assessment of a significant wildfire ongoing within the Santa Mission/Arrow Point area.

Wildfires the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) battled in the East Bank of Demerara area on Tuesday night.

This particular fire, situated approximately 3 miles north of Santa Mission and 3 miles from Timehri, was pinpointed, spanning approximately 2 kilometers in length, and was observed to be running from north to west, the GFS disclosed. In addition, the reconnaissance team also observed several small pockets of active fires in various areas, including La Bonne Intention, Buxton, Perseverance, and a large fire at Friendship.

The GFS further stated that the fires at La Bonne Intention, Buxton, Perseverance and Friendship cannot be accessed at this time as they are inland. However, they will be continuously monitored.

It was reported by the Home Affairs Ministry that these fires, stemming from spontaneous combustion, human-induced land clearing, and waste destruction, have prompted urgent calls for citizens, particularly land developers, contractors, and farmers, to cease burning garbage and other waste materials.

As the dry season prolongs, the risk of fires escalating quickly and becoming uncontrollable heightens. The ministry stated that forecasts indicate the dry spell will persist until the end of April, so citizens are urged to take all necessary precautions to prevent fire outbreaks. In light of the active fires, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had issued a press release on March 27, 2024, cautioning that air quality in regions Three and Four is categorized as “unhealthy” according to the World Health Organization Standards for Good Air Quality. In response to these developments, citizens are strongly advised to take preventive measures to safeguard their health due to associated health safety risks from smoke inhalation.

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Dry Season, Guyana Fire Service, Pomeroon-Supenaam, Region Five, Region Six, Wildfires

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