The El Gavilán fire has moved from smoke and emergency work to City Hall, where officials are now assessing the condition of Puerto Vallarta’s own response teams. A new council agreement calls for more equipment, supplies, and tools for Civil Protection and Firefighters. It also opens a review of possible incentives for the crews who worked the landfill fire and other emergencies. The vote follows days of pressure over the landfill, its permits, and the strain placed on local responders.
Puerto Vallarta to reinforce emergency teams after El Gavilán landfill fire
After days of smoke, tanker runs, and work at El Gavilán, the City Council approved a plan to strengthen Civil Protection and Firefighters with new equipment, tools, and supplies. The agreement also opens a review of possible incentives for operational staff who respond to emergencies.
The vote passed unanimously, according to public accounts of the council session. It came through an initiative from councilwoman Micaela Vázquez Díaz, who tied the proposal to the recent El Gavilán landfill fire and to the routine emergencies handled by the same crews across the city.
Council asks for equipment inventory
The agreement orders the city to identify the most urgent needs within Protección Civil y Bomberos. That means equipment, tools, supplies, and any other items needed to improve response capacity.
Some purchases have already been made and will be delivered soon, according to a public account of the session. Mayor Luis Ernesto Munguía González also told the council that additional needs should be addressed quickly once identified.
A pre-vote account of the initiative said the proposal called for reports on missing equipment and on the employees who directly fought the landfill fire.
Vázquez Díaz’s proposal also cited staff complaints about the lack of basic tools, supplies, and protective equipment. The same account said the document referred to overdue benefits and salary bonuses that had already been authorized and budgeted for personnel in Security, Civil Protection, and Firefighters, but had not been delivered.
Fire pushed city crews and outside support
The El Gavilán fire began in late May and quickly became more than a landfill problem. Toxic tire smoke spread over parts of Puerto Vallarta, and state environmental officials later moved against the site after the fire.
Crews eventually controlled the tire-section fire, though work continued in upper landfill areas where flames remained. Water support also showed the size of the response. SEAPAL later recognized tanker crews who supplied 1.5 million liters of water during the five-day operation.
The initiative discussed at City Hall said the fire was controlled with support from neighboring municipalities, the Jalisco government, and local firefighters working under high-risk conditions. That part of the story now sits behind the council’s vote. The city is moving forward thanks to an inventory of what crews lacked while doing the job.
Landfill scrutiny continues
The emergency response vote arrived as El Gavilán faces separate environmental scrutiny. Jalisco’s environmental enforcement office, Proepa, partially closed the landfill after inspectors found the site lacked a current environmental impact authorization and had other compliance issues.
Semadet’s environment chief said the landfill had been operating without a current state authorization since December 2025, a point covered in the earlier El Gavilán permit story. The closure was partial, so the landfill has continued receiving municipal waste.
Munguía said the city was already in talks with Proepa over the inspection findings.
“We already have dialogue with Proepa. It is a follow-up matter, of course, administrative, and about responding to what they request,” the mayor said in translated remarks.
He also said the state agency had shown willingness to work through the case. “We have had very good availability and willingness from the state side,” he said. “We believe that in some way we are going to come out strengthened through this dialogue that allows us to respond to the requests.”
On trash collection, Munguía said the partial closure had not stopped the landfill’s daily function. “Because it is a partial matter, the landfill continues operating, and collection is guaranteed,” he said.
Incentives move to review
The council agreement includes a review of possible compensation or incentives for operational personnel who attend emergencies. It does not set amounts, payment dates, or eligibility rules.
That leaves the next steps with the municipal offices, asked to define needs and, where needed, move money. The pre-vote proposal also called for Hacienda Municipal and the Subdirectorate of Acquisitions and Supply to acquire the necessary equipment and release corresponding resources, including budget reallocations if required.
