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Guatemala seeks international help as wildfires char north
Original Publication Date: June 4, 2016 5:30AM
Publication Updated: April 28, 2025 6:54AM
GUATEMALA CITY – Guatemala is soliciting international financial and equipment support to battle wildfires that have already charred nearly 20,000 acres in the northern department of Peten.
Presidential spokesman Heinz Heimann says that more than 350 firefighters are battling the blazes on foot because the area is inaccessible to vehicles. He says another nearly 500,000 acres are at risk and they include the Maya Biosphere Reserve bordering Mexico and Belize.
Vice-president Jafeth Cabrera announced Saturday that the government had made what it calls a calamity declaration. That will allow the government to access funds to fight the fires and make it easier for international help to arrive.
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