Fires are also burning out of control in Honduras and Guatemala. Officials say the land is so dry this year as a result of the El Nino weather phenomenon that the fires are likely to continue until annual rains arrive later this month. That apparent resignation may be one reason so little has been done up to now to stop the burning. On Friday, Mexico accepted a belated offer of fire-fighting assistance made earlier in the week by the US and Texas. The assistance to Mexico will include the use of tanker planes and helicopters and other equipment to fight the fires, plus participation in a reforestation program and training after the fires are out.
Mexican officials acknowledge they lack the resources for a full assault on the fires.
Already 50 firefighters have died in the blazes, most of them wearing only T-shirts and jeans and equipped with little more than shovels or blankets to smother the fires. But officials also cite social and cultural conditions that make stopping the fires complex. Around Mexico City, fires have been set inside ecological reserves by squatters taking advantage of the weather to clear land for illegal dwellings. Officials insist that no change in the reserves' protected status will be tolerated. Then there are the thousands of subsistence farmers who are following their annual custom in setting the fires.