A Civil Defense report seen by The Associated Press indicates that since July at least 15 people have died and another 98 have been injured due to the fires. Of the fatalities, 10 died in the last two weeks and more than 1,800 people have been affected. The livestock sector was reported to have lost 334 animals.
Peru's National Forest and Wildlife Service, SERFOR, indicated that the effects of climate change intensify the conditions that facilitate the spread of fire.
“Extremely strong winds and prolonged droughts dry out vegetation, turning it into highly flammable fuel," said Romina Liza, a specialist in monitoring and management of forest Fires at SERFOR. "This allows the fires to spread rapidly."
Some of the most complicated fires are in the Amazon region, which borders Ecuador, the head of civil defense, Juan Urcariegui, told a local television station.
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