Colombian authorities have declared a public calamity after a wildfire ravaged the mountains surrounding one of the nation’s most celebrated colonial towns in the northeast, destroying extensive areas of vegetation and compelling mass evacuations.
Nearly 20 active fires are currently burning across the country. Prolonged dry conditions have heightened fire risk in Colombia as it prepares for the impact of El Niño, a climatic phenomenon that can accelerate the spread of wildfires.
The fire in Villa de Leyva, a renowned tourist destination approximately 160km (100 miles) northeast of the capital, Bogotá, ignited on Saturday on a mountain overlooking the town. By Sunday evening, authorities reported that roughly 290 hectares (717 acres) had been consumed — an area equivalent to about 400 soccer fields — and the blaze was approximately 50% under control.
Strong winds have hindered containment efforts, at times driving the flames toward populated areas. Local officials declared a state of emergency, suspended in-person classes for Monday, and carried out precautionary evacuations, including from hotels in the vicinity of the fire.
More than 400 firefighters, emergency responders, residents, and volunteers participated in the relief effort, while four helicopters conducted aerial water drops. Carlos Amaya, governor of Boyacá province, where Villa de Leyva is situated, said aircraft performed approximately 170 water drops on Sunday, releasing 240,000 liters (63,400 gallons).
Fabio Arjona, Colombia’s environment minister, said preliminary information from the disaster management agency suggested the fire may have been deliberately set, though authorities continue to investigate.
Abelardo de la Espriella, the Colombian president, said Sunday on X that the Villa de Leyva fire was about 50% controlled and contained on the ground.
Colombia’s national disaster management agency reported in its latest nationwide update that authorities were monitoring 27 forest fires, with 19 still active and eight brought under control. Nine of the active fires were concentrated in Tolima, a mountainous region southwest of Bogotá, while others were burning across several parts of the country’s Andean region.
The weather agency reported last week that 279 municipalities were under some level of wildfire warning, including 36 at the highest red-alert level, with much of the risk concentrated in the Andean and Caribbean regions.
Between 16 June and 6 August, Colombia recorded 438 forest fires across 191 municipalities, affecting approximately 7,153 hectares of vegetation, according to government figures.
Neighboring Ecuador is also grappling with a wave of wildfires. Ecuador’s national risk management agency said Sunday that 12 fires remained active across the country, while more than 21,800 hectares of vegetation have burned so far this year.
High temperatures and strong winds have facilitated the rapid spread of flames in some areas. A fire on the slopes of Ecuador’s Imbabura volcano burned roughly 300 hectares before being brought under control on Sunday after three days of firefighting.
El Niño is a periodic warming of the tropical Pacific Ocean that can reduce rainfall and elevate temperatures in affected regions, creating conditions conducive to the spread of wildfires.
Disaster officials have said the period of greatest risk across the region from the developing El Niño is expected between October and April, with wildfires and water shortages among the primary concerns.
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