Ecuador’s capital has been living through hours of terror due to 27 forest fires that have covered the city with thick smoke and ash, forcing authorities to declare a state of emergency. The fires started on Tuesday afternoon in the residential sector of Guápulo, almost simultaneously in the Metropolitan Park, the Auqui hill and the Simón Bolívar highway, which accumulates intense traffic on a daily basis. The situation led the municipal government to close roads and ask citizens not to move, to allow rescue teams to have the streets clear. While this was happening, six other fires were started simultaneously. For the authorities, it was clear: the city is under attack, victim of intentional fires. “We are classifying these acts as criminal and terrorist,” said Pabel Muñoz, mayor of Quito.
At dawn, firefighters managed to control the four main fires, but as the morning progressed they were reactivated, due to the high temperatures that the capital endures in this dry season and the winds that complicate the work of firefighters. The forest fires of the last hours have left six houses destroyed and almost a hundred people have received medical attention due to the smoke. The Bolaño sector, one of the most affected, is located on a hillside next to the Simón Bolívar highway, the only escape route to flee from the flames. Daylight allowed the damage to be seen: houses and businesses consumed by the fire.
In the last two years, the dry season has become a hell for the people of Quito. Since June, forest fires have consumed 2,000 hectares in different sectors of the capital, with more than 300 attempted fires, for which the Municipality has filed 16 complaints with the Prosecutor’s Office. However, they have only managed to arrest three people as alleged perpetrators. One of the fires occurred on September 12 on the Panecillo hill, south of the city, a densely populated area that took a day to be controlled. Through security cameras, they managed to identify the person responsible: a taxi driver who confessed to being intoxicated when he threw a cigarette. “We have to be frank, I had alcohol in my head,” said the man, who is being prosecuted for the crime of intentional fire and could face a sentence of up to three years in prison.
None of the fires compares to the one that occurred on Tuesday, September 24. A day later, the Ecuadorian Police arrested a 19-year-old man who had combustible material in the Guápulo area, who could allegedly be behind the start of one of the scourges. All activities are suspended in the capital. Classes in schools and universities, as well as the work day, will be held virtually.
The emergency has mobilized nearly 200 firefighters, police and military personnel to help with mitigation and logistics tasks, who are also trying to control the fires by air. The forest fires occur in the midst of an energy crisis, where the country endures up to 14 hours without electricity daily, but the Government has agreed to the mayor’s request to suspend electricity rationing in Quito until Thursday afternoon, when the blackouts are expected to return to the city. This crisis motivated President Daniel Noboa to suspend his activities in New York and return to the country.
Subscribe to the EL PAÍS América newsletter here and receive all the key information on current events in the region.
#Forest #fires #unleash #chaos #state #emergency #declared #Quito