Colombia seeks international aid to combat forest fires
Colombia appealed on Thursday for international aid as it battled dozens of forest fires burning vast swathes of the country and encroaching on homes in the capital.
For four consecutive days, hundreds of firefighters and volunteers have fought the inferno tearing through the forested mountains above Bogota, some armed with little more than water bottles and face masks.
The fires have blanketed the capital in smoke, prompting the scrapping of in-person classes in the worst-affected areas and the delay or cancellation of dozens of flights from the El Dorado international airport due to poor visibility. Hundreds of blazes have already been extinguished countrywide in recent weeks amid record temperatures and dry conditions linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon.
More than 6,600 hectares of vegetation have been destroyed so far, according to the National Disaster Risk Management Unit (UNGRD).
Thirty-one fires were still raging in five regions on Thursday – four of them around Bogota.
President Gustavo Petro said he had ordered the “activation of international aid protocols,” and announced offers of help from the United States, Chile, Peru and Canada.
The president has declared a natural disaster, allowing funds to be diverted from other budget items towards containing the blazes.
In the departments of Santander and Cundinamarca – of which Bogota is the capital – fires have consumed about 600 hectares of forest, officials said.
One blaze on the eastern outskirts of Bogota has shifted towards the El Cable neighbourhood, prompting officials to consider an evacuation order.
“The winds have brought it closer, but it’s still more than 900 metres from the houses,” said Bogota Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan. “If necessary, we will take evacuation measures.”
“The coming weeks will be difficult. Today we saw a few clouds, but we still don’t see any possibility of precipitation,” he added. Around 87 percent of the country is considered at “maximum risk”, according to the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM).
Authorities have warned of a “significant deterioration” in air quality in the city of eight million people, with Bogotans counseled against outdoor exercise.
Hundreds of wild animals including raccoon-like mammals called coatis, porcupines, birds and frogs have been fleeing the heat and flames in one of the world’s most biodiverse countries. — AFP