A forest fire was reported on Monday evening at the Juan Pérez farm, between Carolina and Piñones. State firefighters and personnel from the Carolina Municipal Fire Department and the Municipal Office for Emergency Management (OMME) are monitoring the situation. According to Ivonne Rosario, spokesperson for the Fire Department, the fire was reported around 6:00 p.m. after several calls to the 9-1-1 Emergency System.
No structures are currently at risk, and no residents have been evacuated. However, authorities are urging residents in the area to take precautions due to the amount of smoke generated by the fire. The fire occurs during a season marked by an increase in forest fires in Puerto Rico, with 1,113 fires attended to by the Fire Department as of Sunday, 89 more than the same date last year.
Commissioner Josué Piñeiro Torres attributes the increase to high temperatures, drought conditions, and winds that favor the spread of these fires.