About 2,000 firefighters, rescue workers and troops are battling the blazes around Quito.
Firefighters in Ecuador are working to extinguish multiple wildfires on the outskirts of the country’s capital, as several South American countries struggle with the effects of widespread drought and record fires.
Quito was blanketed in smoke and ash on Wednesday as around 2,000 firefighters, rescue workers and soldiers tried to evacuate residents and put out the flames. At least six injuries have been reported so far.
“The fire will not end in the next few hours, it will definitely continue into the night,” Mayor Pavel Munoz told reporters, adding that cooler temperatures overnight could help firefighters extinguish the blaze.
Munoz described the situation as “critical” and said two firefighters were injured while trying to put out the blaze.
“Quito is under attack,” city security official Carolina Andrade said, adding that two adults and two children were among the injured.
Record-breaking fires are burning in South America, including in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia and Peru, a region hit by severe drought.
Firefighters work to put out a wildfire in Quito, Ecuador, on September 25. (Karen Toro/Reuters)
“We wanted to save something but we got nothing,” Alexis Kondro, a 23-year-old mechanic whose home was burned down, told AFP.
Quito’s fire department said in a social media post that it was spraying water around the fire to help firefighters working to contain the blaze.
The agency also urged residents to avoid flying drones, burning trash and other activities that could cause fires or make it harder to fight them.
Ecuador is facing its worst drought in more than 60 years, and the fires highlight the growing vulnerability many countries are experiencing to extreme weather caused by climate change.
Brazil’s space research agency INPE said earlier this month that it had recorded 346,112 fire spots across South America so far this year, the most since the data series began in 1998.
In Peru, the government declared a state of emergency last week in several provinces affected by wildfires.
Brazil’s energy authorities also said they supported the reintroduction of daylight saving time, citing drought that is threatening the country’s hydroelectric power generation.
A bathroom destroyed by wildfires in Quito, Ecuador, on September 25. (Karen Toro/Reuters)
In Ecuador, drought is straining the country’s energy supply capacity and causing power outages.
Meanwhile, in Argentina and Brazil, grain shipments are slowing as river levels fall.
“South America’s leaders must act more urgently than ever to prevent a climate catastrophe that could have irreversible consequences for people and the planet,” Amnesty International said on Monday.
