In the first quarter of 2011, over 500 forest fires were recorded in 16,973 hectares of forest, Trinidad Suazo, director of the Forest Conservation Institute of Honduras, told Tierramérica. Tegucigalpa is one of the most heavily hit areas, together with the regions of El Paraíso and Olancho.

Most of the fires were started by criminal actions, Suazo said, and have been aggravated by the heat wave affecting numerous parts of Honduras.

Authorities have been forced to close the capital’s airport for two to three hours daily because of the reduced visibility caused by the smoke from the fires.

Also contributing to the dense layer of smoke is the unregulated burning of sugar cane plantations around Tegucigalpa.