Environment upbeat on controlling blazes, blames farming

Santo Domingo.- Environment minister Bautista Rojas on Friday said he’s confident that the forest fire first detected Tuesday around 15 kilometers south of the highland city Constanza will be controlled, one day after he announced it was partially doused on Thursday.

Speaking on Colorvision Channel 9, the official said Environment Ministry crews, volunteers and the military work to smother the flames, “but the rugged terrain makes it difficult to deploy firefighters and equipment to those sites.”

He said the fires are suspicious, and blames many of them on people who clear areas for illegal farming.

In that regard, Valle Nuevo National Park official Andrés Ferrer on Thursday said firefighters had managed to control most of the blazes just after 7:30 pm. "A front continues burning although it’s unlikely it will expand because it’s headed to an area which already burned the day before yesterday."