Hundreds of forest fires have raged in Honduras this year, destroying more than 64,000 hectares of pine forests and blanketing the capital in a thick blanket of smoke, according to conservation agencies.

As of Tuesday, “1,424 fires and 64,327 hectares were affected nationwide” were recorded, Sandra Canales, conservation director at the Institute for Forest Conservation (ICF), told reporters. .

A total of 399 fires were recorded in the capital’s Francisco Morazan department, which was covered in a layer of smoke on Tuesday.

According to the ICF, 70% of fires are caused by “criminal hands” and the rest by poor agricultural practices (burning for replanting).

Environment Minister Lucky Medina recently reported that the public prosecutor’s office was investigating a property owner interested in implementing a housing project in a forest area near Tegucigalpa as a suspect in the fire.

The fire is being extinguished by ICF forestry crews, firefighters, military and community members.

By July 2022, 1,203 fires had destroyed 98,516 hectares.

ICF Technical Advisor Dary Medina said fires were on the rise due to the lack of rain since the capital had its last rainfall in mid-March.

Meteorologists expect the rains to return at the end of May.