At least thirty forest fires have destroyed about 82 hectares inside and near Protected Wilderness Areas.

According to the Ministry of the Environment, most of the fires have occurred in Guanacaste Province. Of these, at least 20 have exceeded the protected areas and have affected private properties and surrounding public areas.

Among the most affected protected areas is the Iguanita National Wildlife Refuge, where at least 50 hectares have been destroyed by fire.

Also, in the Santa Rosa National Park, the fires have destroyed at least 21 hectares.

New fires are detected daily through the use of satellite images, surveillance operations carried out by park rangers from watchtowers, ground and air patrol operations, the National Emergency Commission said.

One of the most recent forest fires, which is now almost 80% controlled, happened in the cantons of Santa Cruz and Carrillo. In a few days, the fire, which started at the top of the mountains, quickly reached the coast. This caused authorities to establish an alert due to the large number of forest fires and their complexity in those regions.