Wildfire affects Valle Nuevo National Park

Firefighters are battling a wildfire that has ignited in the Valle Nuevo National Park, a protected area in the Dominican Republic. Brigades and park personnel are actively working to control the flames and prevent them from spreading to other sections of the park, according to the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources.

Defense lines have been established to stop the fire from advancing towards Pajón Blanco and the park's camping area. The cause of the blaze remains undetermined by authorities.

This incident occurs amidst an unusually severe wildfire season. June and July alone saw 109 forest fires, the highest number recorded for those two months in the past three decades. This surpasses the previous record of 90 fires during the second high season in 2018.

Officials point to two primary factors contributing to the surge: human activity and natural phenomena. Gerónimo Abreu, head of the Fire Management Program, suggested that unfulfilled agricultural needs from a wet first season might have led to increased land clearing attempts in the second season. He also noted a rise in fires caused by electrical discharges during this period, though specific numbers were not provided.