Authorities in Colombia announced on Sunday that they were combatting forest fires in seven different departments, as a severe drought is fueling blazes across Latin America.
Several Latin American countries, from Ecuador to Brazil, are facing their worst drought in decades, leading to a devastating fire season that has put residents and governments on high alert.
The National Unit for Risk and Disaster Management in Colombia reported that nearly 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres) of land have been consumed by fires.
Some of the affected areas border Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil, all of which are also struggling with wildfires.
Authorities have deployed eight airplanes to combat a fire in the village of Nagataima in the Andean Tolima department, where two individuals were injured due to the blaze.
In Ecuador, power outages are being implemented in 12 provinces to conserve electricity as the country faces its worst drought in over six decades.
The Peruvian government has declared a 60-day state of emergency in three departments that have been severely affected by fires, particularly in jungle regions bordering Brazil and Ecuador.
The drought has led to a decrease in the flow of the Amazon River near Colombia’s borders with Peru and Brazil, affecting food supplies and posing health risks to residents. The Madeira River in the Brazilian Amazon has dried up significantly, forcing residents to walk across its exposed sands for essential needs.
Brazil, the largest country in South America, is experiencing drastic impacts from the drought, which experts link to climate change. Smoke from fires has enveloped major cities like Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo, burning millions of hectares of forest and agricultural land from the Amazon rainforest to the Pantanal wetlands.
Many of these fires are intentionally set by farmers clearing land for agriculture. Smoke from the fires has even reached neighboring countries like Argentina and Uruguay, both of which are battling their own fire crises.
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