Tulum Restaurant Fire Sparks Insecurity Concerns

Tulum, Mexico — A fire consumed several palapas that were part of the Oasis restaurant in Tulum. The cause of the blaze, which was ultimately brought under control, remains unknown.

The now-abandoned establishment was left practically reduced to ashes. According to reports, the incident occurred on the night of Tuesday, August 26, when emergency services received a report of a fire along the highway at approximately 11:00 p.m.

Once the report was received concerning the fire at the Tulum restaurant, which was not in operation, municipal firefighters arrived at the site. They took nearly half an hour to control the fire and had to utilize a 10,000-liter water tanker to resolve the situation.

An event that drew attention from local residents, according to reports, was that another commercial business had also burned under similar circumstances just hours earlier. This has led some to question whether the incidents could be a type of threat or retaliation, possibly related to extortion demands.

Fortunately, because the site was not currently functioning as a restaurant, no injuries were reported. However, there were significant material losses, as the fire consumed a large portion of the structure.

Violence, Insecurity, and Irregularities

The article notes that insecurity is worsening in Tulum, where it has become common to register incidents of various types, including murders, assaults, fires, and extortion. It is reported that instead of doing his job, Mayor Diego Castañón prefers to campaign with an eye toward a candidacy in 2027.

Furthermore, the article states that the mayor is now in conflict with military commanders from the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) and officials from the federal government. The dispute is reportedly over his supposed demand that people not be charged an entrance fee to the Jaguar Park, which is managed by the company Mundo Maya.

Instead of mediating and seeking agreements, the article claims Diego Castañón is seeking a confrontation. Meanwhile, the public is reportedly threatening to block access to the Tulum archaeological zone due to dissatisfaction with the overall situation.

The piece references a previous incident in which workers from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) denounced that military personnel were selling tickets to the archaeological zone, an activity they stated should only be conducted by the institute. The workers accused the military of keeping those proceeds.

The federal government later stated that everything was part of an agreement, which, the article notes, was apparently unknown to the INAH employees in Tulum. To date, the situation is reported as still not fully clarified, and the public remains dissatisfied.