The fire has so far burned thousands of acres, destroyed a large number of homes, and firefighters are scrambling to contain the blaze and prevent further fires.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric issued a statement on Thursday saying the UN chief was shocked and saddened by the rapid spread of the forest fires and the widespread destruction caused by them.
He expressed condolences to the families of the victims and expressed solidarity with the displaced people. Many of them have lost their homes.
Five deaths have been reported so far in this fire. More than a thousand people were displaced and hundreds of buildings were destroyed.
According to the US weather forecasting agency ‘AccuWeather’, this disaster is likely to cause more than 50 billion dollars in damages.
Firefighters praised
The UN chief praised the courage and dedication of fire fighters, who are working in extremely ‘difficult conditions’ to save lives and put out fires.
Local officials described it as an unprecedented, dangerous fire, with more than 7,500 firefighters trying to bring it under control.
These flames are fueled by dry vegetation, vegetation, wood and hurricane-force winds. Of the six separate fires, nearly four were not brought under control.
Due to lack of necessary resources and difficulty in reaching the affected areas, there have been delays in extinguishing these fires.
Preparedness and prevention
Precipitation levels are projected to be below average in the last month of 2024. This results in drier conditions and, combined with a seasonal pattern called the southerly wind, increases fire risk.
Cool winds blow over the mountains, causing the temperature to rise and the humidity to be very low, causing the plants, leaves, vegetation to dry and create ideal conditions for fire to spread.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized the need to adopt prevention strategies to reduce the incidence of forest fires and their impact. These include regular clearing of forest undergrowth, provision of water for fire brigades and testing of fire control capabilities among other measures.
In addition, it is important to plan for the safe evacuation of people in case of fire and to take into account the situation of blocking such routes.