Map of Precordilleran Fires
The 2016-2017 fire season was perhaps the most severe and violent in the history of this country, with more than 250,000 hectares ravaged by fire. The Santiago precordillera has suffered equally from the flames, whether through the unconscious carelessness of people or real estate ambition. Through this map of precordilleran fires we can see the frequency and severity of incidents in this much-neglected area of Santiago.
The research team of Red Precordillera, together with the Brigada de Emergencias Alto Florida, has developed the Map of Precordilleran Fires. This map shows both the location and the areas affected by forest fires occurring in the Santiago precordillera, from the Quebrada Nido de Águila to the Maipo River, from 2006 to the present and continuously updated.
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Thanks to this map we can confirm some facts:
More than 740 hectares of native precordilleran forest have burned in the last 11 years.
There have been more fires during the 2016-2017 season than in the other 10 years of the study combined.
The area most affected by fires is Alto Macul, devastated by 11 fires — most associated with the Macalto real estate project — with some sectors having burned 3 times already.
The main cause of fires is the carelessness and unconsciousness of people, manifested in poorly extinguished bonfires. The second cause is intentional fires associated with real estate projects.
Bosque Panul has experienced 5 major forest fires, two of them in the summer of 2012 and the other three in this past summer. In addition, there have been 6 near-fires that were quickly suppressed.
The Alto Florida Brigade has combated more than 20 fire outbreaks since its creation, just in the precordillera. This figure doubles when counting outbreaks in other sectors, and triples when counting its rescue work.
This study only demonstrates once again how unprotected the precordillera of Peñalolén, La Florida, and Puente Alto is — where the real estate threat and uncontrolled land use have taken their toll on native flora and fauna, solely due to the inaction of local authorities.
Preventing forest fires is the most important thing. Do not make bonfires in the forest. Take all your waste with you. Help keep the area clean and respect native flora and fauna.
The content expressed in this article is the responsibility of its original authors and does not necessarily represent the views associated with the Panul Para Todos project.
The information archived in Archivo Panul was collected using automated tools, so there may be inconsistencies between what is presented here and the original link. You can visit the original link at the top of this article.