A wildfire near Villa de Leyva in Colombia’s Boyaca department has consumed 40 hectares of native forest and is threatening the Andean tourist town, local officials said. Smoke from the San Marcos hillside was visible from the town’s central square.
Authorities reinforce the firefighting effort
The Boyaca department government is dispatching two aircraft, while a military helicopter will join the response. Firefighters from Bogota are also being sent to support crews from Tunja and Boyaca and help protect the urban centre, Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara said.
President Abelardo de la Espriella said on X that the government would mobilise all state resources to fight the fire and protect Villa de Leyva, whose colonial architecture and cobblestone streets draw more than a million visitors annually.
Dry conditions are driving fires across Colombia
Forest fires typically peak during the dry season in the equatorial Andes, but officials and climate scientists said severe El Nino conditions, record high temperatures and a lack of moisture have intensified the threat by leaving Andean vegetation exceptionally dry.
Colombia’s National Unit for Disaster Risk Management said 18 wildfires were active across the country. El Nino is producing different effects across South America, with drought and reduced rainfall in northern areas such as Colombia while parts of the south are expecting unusually heavy rain. Read the context: Powerful El Nino Set to Intensify Heatwaves and Disasters Worldwide.
Stephanie Roe, lead climate scientist with the World Wildlife Fund, said El Nino’s extremes are unfolding on a warmer planet, increasing the likelihood of severe heat, drought, floods and fires affecting communities and ecosystems.
What happens next
Aircraft, a military helicopter and additional firefighters are being deployed to support local crews, reinforce containment efforts and secure Villa de Leyva’s urban centre.
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