Costa Rican Firefighters Head to Nicaragua to Help Put Out the Fire affecting Indio Maíz Biological Reserve

Costa Rican Firefighters Head to Nicaragua to Help Put Out the Fire affecting Indio Maíz Biological Reserve

08 April 2018

NICARAGUA/COSTA RICA – A team of 40 Costa Rican firefighters will travel to Nicaragua this Monday at 6 a.m. to offer their assistance in helping control the fire that is affecting the Indio Maiz Biological Reserve for several days now and that has already destroyed over 7,000 hectares of protected land. President Daniel Ortega declared yellow emergency.

This Biological Reserve is the second in importance in Nicaragua and it is located only 22 kilometers from the frontier with Costa Rica close to the San Juan River, the fire is threatening to expand to the south in route to Barra del Colorado.

The Costa Rican team is trained in the control of forest fires, and will work hand in hand with the Nicaraguan teams, from Costa Rica they will take 10 firefighter trucks for use in forest fires as well as pumps, drones and a special radio communication system since this is an area of difficult access.

Hector Chavez, director of the Costa Rica Fire Department, explained that the operation has the approval of President Luis Guillermo Solis and its part of the cooperation given between fire departments in the region when the affected area is close to the frontier.

The smoke has affected communities in Costa Rica such as Los Chiles, Pavon and La Vega, in the north of the Alajuela province.

8. April 2018/by Fernando Casillas Bernal