Massive industrial fire in Mérida’s north continues to burn
A massive fire in an industrial park north of Mérida began Tuesday around 12:40 p.m. As of Wednesday morning, it was still burning.
The blaze quickly spread to another five surrounding warehouses, causing damage that will run into several millions.
Some of the warehouses belonged to or were being occupied by Chapur, Izzi, and Mega Empack.
Yucatán’s police chief, Luis Saidén Ojeda, says experts speculate the fire was caused by a short circuit.
A contingent of 150 firefighters has been working to temper the blaze. Workers were quickly evacuated, preventing serious injury or loss of life.
On social media, many comments focused on how fortunate it was that the fire coincided with rain as if the area had been dry, containment would have been presumably much more difficult.
The fumes from the smoke have been detected across much of northern Mérida since the fire began, especially in Fraccionamiento Las Américas, Xcantún and Francisco de Montejo.
Several schools in the area have been closed due to complaints of headaches and nausea.
Joggers who run along the path between Las Américas and the industrial park have been warned to suspend their activities.
Senior Editor Carlos Rosado van der Gracht, PhD, is a journalist, photographer, and expedition leader. Born in Mérida, Carlos holds degrees from universities in Mexico, Canada, and Norway. Most recently, he earned a doctorate in Heritage Studies in 2026.
