National Wildfire Response Task Force Mobilizes to Combat Blazes in Toledo and Cayo Districts

Since last week, the National Wildfire Response Task Force, formed by the Ministry of Disaster Risk Management, has been working to assess the damages caused by the fires. The group has been tasked to provide immediate response to the affected communities in the Toledo and Cayo districts. As we reported, dozens of villages in Toledo have been bearing the brunt of the crisis as homes, crops, and wildlife have been reduced to ash. While several of the villages have seen a reduction in the blazes, others like Silver Creek Village remain under threat. Today, National Emergency Coordinator Captain Daniel Mendez spoke on the situation and what is being done to protect the residents.

Captain Daniel Mendez, NEMO Coordinator: “I do know that there have been some families affected. The operations continue. The Belize Defense Force and other partners are on standby. We do have equipment that is out there assisting in this so we continue to provide that support and continue to monitor that one as well as a few others that continue to burn in the district. The effort right now is continuing on preparing for other phases of the operation. So we continue to maintain a presence and we continue to start to prepare for the assessments for the delivery of relief items and relief supplies.”

According to a situation report by the Belize Red Cross Society, approximately 200 families, totaling around 800 persons were impacted by these fires in the Toledo district.