Overview
- The blaze began near kilometer 84 of the Arequipa–Puno road, which started Thursday and spread quickly into the Reserva Nacional de Salinas y Aguada Blanca, driving four days of suppression efforts.
- COER attributes the ignition to tires set on fire at the roadside, and police investigators have opened inquiries into the incident.
- After four days of continuous work, brigades from the regional disaster office, SERNANP, SERFOR, municipal teams, the Army and the National Police reported the main flames extinguished while liquidation and monitoring continue in steep, vehicle‑inaccessible zones on Cerro Nocarani.
- Authorities say there were no injuries or deaths, but preliminary damage estimates range from about 800 hectares to roughly 1,000 hectares after a reactivation of hotspots.
- The fire destroyed native grassland and harmed flora and fauna within the protected reserve, raising concerns that sustained monitoring and ecological restoration will be needed to protect wildlife and local water sources.