Colombia: Colombia in flames, Bogota calls for international assistance

News Update

The South American country is fighting fire in several regions and in its capital. Requests for international assistance have been activated to combat the 31 fires that have already burned 600 hectares. Colombia has called for international assistance to deal with some 30 forest fires raging in several regions and in the capital Bogota, where the flames are approaching a residential area. Speaking to the press, President Gustavo Petro said he had “activated the protocols for requesting international assistance” so that the country could fight 31 fires on Wednesday that had destroyed some 600 hectares of forest. According to the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (Ideam), 87% of the country - declared Wednesday in a state of 'natural disaster' - is exposed to a "maximum risk" of fires. Mr. Petro reported that the United States, Chile, Peru and Canada had already responded positively to Colombia's requests for assistance to contain the increase in the flames. A total of 31 fires are active on Thursday in five regions of the country, according to Civil Protection (UNGRD). Four of them are raging in the capital, where a fire on El Cable hill, on the eastern outskirts of the city, has reached the edge of a residential area. Smoke-polluted air 'The winds have brought him closer, but he is still more than 900 metres from the houses. We are monitoring it (...) If necessary, we will take evacuation measures,' said the Mayor of Bogota, Carlos Fernando Galan, at the end of the day. "The coming weeks will be difficult. Today we have seen some clouds, but we still do not see any possibility of precipitation,' he added. At nightfall, smoke enveloped the centre of this city with eight million people, where more than 300 firefighters, soldiers and rescue workers were deployed to fight the flames. The mayor called “the population around the burned areas to wear protective masks” and announced the closure of schools and a university affected by smoke. "It really smells like smoke. It is even felt that it is being taken into the throat,” testified to AFP Blanca Galindo, a 69-year-old street vendor at the foot of the mountains bordering Bogota, where many people wear protective masks. The town hall recommended avoiding outdoor exercises, closing windows and, in some areas, placing wet towels on the bottoms of doors. A record drought Civil aviation reported that the first Latin American air terminal in terms of volume of cargo was operating “with restrictions” due to smoke and morning mist, but that the situation was «en cours de normalisation»“standardised”. Some 138 flights were hit by delays on Thursday morning, of which 48 were cancelled and 16 redirected to other airports. Wild animals, birds, squirrels and raccoons have been seen seeking refuge in urban areas. Known for its biodiversity, Colombia is confronted with the influence of the El Nino climate phenomenon, with record heat, drought and fires. 'This month of January promises to be the hottest according to the historical data we have,' said Ghisliane Echeverry, Director of Ideam, who has been recording the country's temperature for 30 years, said at a press conference. Nine municipalities in the north, central and eastern part of the country recorded record temperatures of up to 40.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, according to Ideam, normally being the freshest month of the year. “At present, there are 62 municipalities in water stress, where freshwater capacity has matched or is below the demand of the population,” stressed Mr. Petro. Since the beginning of November, 336 forest fires have been recorded in 174 municipalities. And at least 6,618 hectares of vegetation have been devastated, according to Colombian civil protection.