Mexico is struggling with 159 wildfires, including power outages during a heat wave: “Temperatures up to 48 degrees”

Mexico is currently fighting 159 wildfires across the country. The country is experiencing a heat wave, the second this year. According to Mexico’s National Weather Service, at least twelve states could see temperatures hotter than 45 degrees, while other parts of the country could see temperatures above 30 degrees.

According to Mexico’s forest management agency Conafor, the fires have spread over an area of ​​75,474 hectares. Thirty fires are raging in protected nature reserves.

The heat wave has also increased the demand for power, causing the electricity grid to become overloaded. The national grid operator declared a state of emergency for the power grid on Thursday for the second time in a week. Parts of the country are experiencing drought and power outages, and some schools are closed due to the heat. Mexico City and other regions in the country suffered power outages.

The National Water Commission reports temperatures reaching “48 degrees and more” in some regions. The level of water in a number of reservoirs has fallen. Parts of the country are also experiencing drought. In and around the capital, a region with around 20 million inhabitants, the water supply had been interrupted several times in recent months due to lower rainfall than expected.