A fire that started in grassland and spread to a tire storage center in Felepillo, on Saturday morning, February 22  sent black clouds of acrid smoke across the Diciembre 24 area east of Panama City.

The firefighters who battled the blaze were part of a force from  93 fire stations on standby to reinforce carnival safety. As part of the “Guardian 2020” Carnival operation, some 3,401 firefighters  will be on duty

Reinforced with volunteer staff, fire stations will be on call 24 hours a day, mobilizing firefighters to strategic places of public concentration. and  maintaining emergency and rapid exit posts on the main roads in the country

The red shirts will also be operating on various beaches such as Veracruz, Malibu, Estero Rico, San Carlos, Costas de Bocas del Toro, La Angosta, La Guaira and Isla Grande.