Chile Receives Support from Mexican Brigades for Wildfire Combat

Within the framework of the wildfire emergency affecting the south-central zone of the country, the Government of Mexico, through the National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR), will provide support to Chile by deploying specialized resources for wildfire combat.

The Mexican delegation is composed of 7 forestry brigades and support personnel, totaling 145 members, with experience in combating high-complexity fires, who will support control and firefighting efforts in the affected areas.

The reinforcement was initially arranged through connections between CONAF and CONAFOR, followed by coordination between Chile's Ministries of Agriculture and Foreign Affairs. Furthermore, the mission's transfer was carried out by the Chilean Air Force, from the city of Guadalajara to the city of Concepción, where the teams will be deployed to preliminarily support wildfire combat efforts in the Biobío and La Araucanía regions.

The initial duration of the support will be 20 days, during which the Mexican brigades will work in coordination with national teams to contribute to strengthening the response capacity in the face of the current emergency in the country.

The executive director of CONAF, Rodrigo Illesca Rojas, emphasized: "Wildfires do not recognize borders, and neither does cooperation. The arrival of the Mexican brigades demonstrates that facing these challenges requires joint work and international solidarity. As CONAF, we have worked to strengthen relationships with countries renowned for wildfire combat worldwide, which strengthens our system and is what is materialized today with the arrival of CONAFOR's brigade members."

The arrival of the Mexican brigades reflects the high level of cooperation and international solidarity between both countries, as well as the shared commitment to jointly address the growing challenges posed by extreme wildfires, which is being advanced in the memorandum of understanding between CONAF and CONAFOR.