BOGOTA.- Colombia On Friday, more than thirty fires were fought, some of which have remained active for five days, in different parts of the country where the declaration of disaster and public calamity is in force, while in Bogotá, an alert came into force due to the deterioration of quality from air.
According to the latest balance available from the National Risk Management Unit on its X account, formerly Twitter, 34 fires remain active, 11 were controlled and 273 were put out.
At the moment, 17,192 hectares are affected in 404 municipalities, added the official balance, with a total of 319 fires so far in January.
The maximum alert remains in the regions of the Caribbean, Chocó, Valle del Cauca, Los Andes, Orinoquía and Caquetá, due to “high probability of fire,” reported the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies.
The wave of fires affecting the Andean country is generated by high temperatures caused by the El Niño phenomenon, accompanied by droughts and low soil moisture, according to authorities.
In Bogotá, the alert was activated at 6 a.m. on Friday due to the deterioration in air quality declared in six areas in the southwest of the city.
From the Unified Command Post, the capital’s mayor Carlos Galán explained in a press conference that the situation “is not yet under control, but we are moving forward.”
Regarding the fires in the eastern hills that surround the city, he said that there was 95% control and he hoped that they would be extinguished within the day.
However, the most worrying remains in Cerro El Cable, where four hot areas are identified and the “smoke situation is getting worse” due to the condition of the winds.
Despite this, the mayor insisted that “there is no risk for the population” because there is still a distance “that allows not to make the decision to evacuate” and asked the population to take preventive measures such as wearing a mask, closing the windows and do not go out if not necessary.
Some 585 people from the public force and relief agencies support the mitigation tasks in the capital, Galán indicated.
Regarding international aid, the mayor said that he expects support from the United States and Spain, especially with aircraft for extinction tasks, and warned that “difficult weeks and months are coming,” since the risks “are just beginning.”
With the declaration of alert in the Colombian capital, the hospital system was activated to deal with any emergency and it was ordered that schools and colleges in alert areas go virtual.
Some 2,600 members of the public force are deployed throughout the country in support of relief agencies in extinguishing fires. About 15 aircraft are used in the tasks to discharge water at different focal points.
The authorities recalled that bonfires and burning are prohibited, especially on hills.
Source: AP
