A forest fire in the municipality of Tala, Jalisco, has caused strong smoke emissions that have affected air quality in several areas of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area (AMG). Due to this situation, the Secretariat of Environment and Territorial Development (Semadet) has activated an atmospheric alert.
Since early morning, a dense thermal inversion layer has formed, trapping PM10 and PM2.5 contaminant particles in the atmosphere. The monitoring stations Centro, Las Pintas, Miravalle, and Santa Fe have reported levels above 100 Imeca points, prompting Semadet to issue recommendations for the population, such as avoiding outdoor activities and wearing masks, especially for children under 10 years old, adults over 65 years old, and individuals with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.
Emergency measures such as the Atmospheric Emergency have been activated in specific areas of Zapopan, Tala, and El Arenal, which will remain in effect until the smoke disperses. An Atmospheric Alert has also been issued for Guadalajara and Tlajomulco, which will be in force until the fire is extinguished.
In turn, the Secretariat of Education of Jalisco has informed about the suspension of in-person school activities in Basic Education, Higher Secondary, and Higher Education institutions in the affected municipalities, Zapopan, Tala, and El Arenal. In Guadalajara and Tlajomulco de Zúñiga, where the atmospheric alert has also been activated, in-person classes continued, but it was recommended to avoid outdoor activities in schools in these municipalities.
