Overview
- The Senamhi red alert took effect Wednesday, Sept. 30 and runs through Oct. 5, covering Huancavelica, Ayacucho, Ica, Apurímac, Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna, Cusco and Puno.
- Arequipa’s eight provinces are singled out as at extreme risk because higher daytime temperatures, intense UV radiation and afternoon wind gusts will make fires spread faster in dry vegetation.
- A local wildfire on Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Causilluma, Huacullani (Puno) killed more than 50 alpacas and damaged community cabins, and residents have asked municipal and regional authorities for damage assessments and aid.
- Serfor is monitoring hotspots publicly through its Geoserfor platform while authorities advise against outdoor or agricultural burns, urge people to fully extinguish fires and to report any sightings immediately.
- Officials say most seasonal fires in Peru occur in the July–December dry season and are driven by human practices such as residue burning, so this alert raises risks to livelihoods, water sources and local ecosystems and could prompt more local emergency responses.