Dozens of Rosarito firefighters marched to City Hall on Tuesday, June 9, to protest a severe shortage of working equipment, uniforms, and fire trucks as wildfire season begins across Baja California. The department is currently operating with just two fire trucks, both in need of maintenance, and two of its fire stations have been temporarily shut down.
The closed stations are located in the Centro and Morelos neighborhoods, two of the most populated areas in Playas de Rosarito. Firefighters say the lack of rehabilitation, maintenance, and basic equipment has made it impossible to keep those stations open and serve the municipality’s thousands of residents.
Accusations Against Fire Department Director
Beyond the equipment shortage, firefighters leveled accusations against their director, Francisco Joaquín Mercado de Santiago. They allege he has withheld donated funds and equipment that outside supporters contributed to the department. The firefighters say these donations never reached the rank and file, though specifics on the amounts or donors were not disclosed.
The protest came after repeated attempts to get a meeting with Mayor Rocío Adame Muñoz. After waiting more than an hour outside City Hall, the group was not received by Adame. A lower-ranking municipal official met with them instead. The mayor has faced separate public criticism in recent months over proposed property tax increases and her administration’s spending on armored vehicles.
Wildfire History Raises the Stakes
The timing of the crisis is especially concerning. Rosarito has a documented history of dangerous wildfires. In October 2019, fast-moving fires destroyed more than 60 houses in the municipality and killed at least three people. The Morelos neighborhood, where one of the now-closed stations sits, was hit particularly hard during those fires due to steep terrain and a lack of running water.
At the time, Rosarito’s fire department had fewer than 100 firefighters, both full-time and volunteer. The current protest makes clear that staffing and equipment problems have only worsened since then. With only two trucks in service for the entire municipality, response times to fires and other emergencies could increase significantly during the peak risk months of summer and fall.
Rosarito’s coastal corridor is home to a large residential community, including many U.S. and Canadian expats who live in developments stretching from the town center south toward Ensenada. The municipality also draws heavy weekend traffic from Tijuana and San Diego.
The story was first reported by Punto Norte.