Environmental authorities will ask the Guatemalan Congress to declare a national emergency for the 239 hotspots detected via satellite in the northern jungles of the Petén department. Most of the red spots on the satellite images, ''which are believed to be forest fires,'' are in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, presidential spokesman Eduardo González told Tierramérica.

There are 10 times more hotspots now than there were during the 2003 and 2004 fire seasons. A declaration of emergency, which could be approved next week, would mean an extra 1.3 million dollars for the budget, and 60 percent would be for a two-month contract to hire a special Canadian tanker aircraft capable of spraying fires with 3,785 liters of water per flight, said González.