Overview
- The Matibamba blaze in Curahuasi has burned uncontrolled for more than ten days, local leaders say, and ground crews cannot contain it because strong winds keep spreading the flames.
- Local officials have formally asked the national government to send helicopters equipped with helibalde (Bambi Bucket) from Cusco to reach inaccessible zones and drop water on the fires.
- A wildfire in Coyurqui (Cotabambas) caused one confirmed death and forced the preventive evacuation of about 1,000 people as police and Civil Defense worked to protect communities.
- In Chupamarca (Huancavelica) four people were treated for smoke inhalation and the district mayor’s house was destroyed, with the fire threatening the José Carlos Mariátegui school that serves about 30 students.
- Remote location and limited equipment have left residents fighting with buckets, hoses and handheld extinguishers, which risks long-term losses to pastures, plantations and livestock unless air support or extra resources arrive.