Colombia battles 18 wildfires amid El Niño-driven dry conditions
Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said Wednesday that 18 wildfires remain active across four departments as El Niño conditions continue to fuel dry weather.
In a statement, the agency said 10 of the active fires were in Tolima, five in Nariño, two in Cundinamarca and one in Valle del Cauca, Xinhua reported.
Tolima is the worst-affected department, with more than 20,000 hectares burned after 26 days of wildfire emergency conditions. Local officials have requested additional aerial support, while the army has deployed military engineers to help contain the fires.
Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara said the fires intensified overnight in the municipalities of San Luis and Coello, where emergency crews worked into the early hours to protect homes and power transmission towers.
Firefighters, civil defense teams, soldiers, police officers and local residents are taking part in efforts to contain the fires, Lara said on X. He also reported signs of criminal activity and said police had arrested two suspects.
Farmers in Tolima have reported significant losses to lemon and avocado crops and called on authorities to strengthen firefighting efforts before the flames reach residential areas.
The wildfires began in early August with the onset of El Niño conditions, which authorities say could persist until March 2027.