Peru's Cordillera Blanca forest fires exceed 2025 total, threaten glaciers and tourism

Forest fires in Peru's Áncash region have surpassed all of 2025's incidents, with 224 fires destroying over 5,400 hectares of forest and damaging 45 hectares of crops, plus irrigation and drinking water infrastructure. The fires threaten the Cordillera Blanca's glaciers and Huascarán National Park, a key tourism and water source. The situation is developing, with the full extent of glacier impact and economic losses still uncertain.