A destructive wildfire is currently advancing through the El Codo sector of Sierra de Bahoruco National Park, one of the Dominican Republic’s most ecologically critical protected zones, with emergency crews launching an all-out containment operation, the country’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources has confirmed. Since the blaze was first detected, forest firefighters assigned to the National Fire Management Program have worked around the clock to bring the fire under control. But extreme, long-running drought across the region combined with gusty high winds have supercharged the fire’s spread, turning what might have been a contained blaze into a major emergency that has stretched initial suppression efforts thin.
As the severity of the threat to the protected ecosystem grew, Dominican President Luis Abinader greenlit full federal support for all emergency response activities. Under the coordinated government response, the Ministry of Defense and the Dominican Air Force have stepped in to provide critical logistical and on-the-ground operational support, including deploying two aircraft to ferry additional firefighting personnel and heavy equipment directly to the hard-to-reach affected zone.
Emergency authorities are continuing to mobilize every available firefighting unit across the country, while coordinating with external partners to bring in extra resources that can bolster ground-based containment operations. The entire fire zone remains under 24/7 surveillance as response teams work to assess the full scope of ecological damage caused by the blaze, though restricted access to remote areas and the unpredictable behavior of the fire have slowed comprehensive damage assessments significantly.
Parallel to the firefighting effort, a formal investigation has been launched to pinpoint the exact origin of the fire. Investigators have noted that natural ignition causes have not been ruled out, pointing to the area’s extremely remote location and record dry conditions that have left vegetation primed to burn. For frontline crews, the immediate priorities remain stopping the fire’s expansion, preserving the unique, biodiverse ecosystem of Sierra de Bahoruco, and upholding strict safety protocols to protect all emergency response personnel.