A geospatial statistical study has revealed a portrait of forest fires in Panama, reflecting that 47,156 such incidents have been recorded in the last 25 years. The analysis, led by Florida State University-Panamá's Urban Risk Observatory, Esri Panamá, and Metromapas, revealed a total of 47,156 forest fires between January 2001 and March 2026, averaging more than 1,860 incidents per year. Data collected from NASA's MODIS satellites highlights that the years with the highest activity were 2003 (3,666 fires), 2019 (3,008), and 2008 (2,986). It is noted that in the cases of 2003 and 2019, this peak coincided with years when El Niño events were recorded. Regarding seasonality, March is the month with the highest number of these events, right in the middle of the dry season. The report by Carlos Gordón indicates that, using ArcGIS software, experts identified that the main clusters of energy emissions are located in the Arco Seco (Coclé, Herrera and Los Santos, Chiriquí, and the Ngäbe Buglé Comarca), as well as a corridor that runs along the east of the province of Panama, the west of Darién, the north of Panama, and the northeast of Coclé, mainly the Río Indio basin. Conversely, the areas with the lowest incidence of forest fires are the west of the province of Chiriquí, the Caribbean coast of Panama, and the area of Darién National Park, as well as the sector of Coiba National Park. Forest fires, classified as vegetation fires by the Panama Fire Department, have drawn attention in recent weeks, especially with the impact of more than 100 hectares by fire in the La Yeguada Forest Reserve, in the province of Veraguas. Similarly, another 10 hectares on La Cruz hill, in the Los Andes sector, San Miguelito district, also activated the firefighters' alert. Both fires are being investigated by authorities due to the possibility that they were set by people.
