In Mexico, as the dry season extends into summer, wildfires are continuing raging across the country. The city of Guadalajara has been one of the worst affected urban areas forcing evacuations as firefighters battle around the clock. CGTN's Alasdair Baverstock reports.  

For the past two weeks, large parts of Mexico have been going up in flames.

Wildfires across the country have darkened the skies, choking the atmosphere with smoke so thick it can be seen from space.

In Guadalajara, one of the worst affected cities, the Pinar de la Venta neighborhood saw more than 600 people evacuated as wildfires ripped through their community, burning three homes and multiple vehicles.

Paola Gutierrez is the community council president.

PAOLA GUTIERREZ, LEADER PINAR DE LA VENTA NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITY "It was very worrying and alarming, because we didn't know what was going to happen, and whether or not the fires were going to consume the whole neighborhood. This area is home to a lot of senior citizens, and the smoke was very thick here, adding to the concern, because it can seriously affect their health."

The fires here are now under control but local firefighters say it was a challenge.

OSCAR CHAVEZ GUADALAJARA FIREFIGHTER "If the winds are strong, if there is low humidity, or if the temperature is high, if we are fighting it on hillsides or over steep rocks, they all change a way a wildfire burns, and make it far harder to get under control."

ALASDAIR BAVERSTOCK JALISCO STATE, MEXICO "Wildfires like this are currently raging across Central and Southern Mexico, springing up at the drop of a hat, due to the increased temperatures here, the dryness of the plant life, and the late arrival of the rainy season in this part of the world."

A biology professor at Guadalajara's Autonomous University blames the fires on the climate crisis. Jose Luis Zavala has spent the past decade studying the local environment.

PROFESSOR JOSE LUIS ZAVALA GUADALAJARA AUTONOMOUS UNIVERSITY "The pollution from our city is affecting the speed at which organic material in the forest biodegrades. Normally, the leaves falling from the trees rot on the forest floor and become soil, but with the slower rate of degradation, the organic material builds up. And then, when there's a fire, there's a huge amount of combustible material to worsen the problem."

As the fires burn, residents here are hoping for cloudy, rain-filled skies. Alasdair Baverstock, CGTN, Guadalajara, Mexico.