Central Colombia forest fire threatens tourist town of Villa de Leyva

Ao vivo Clique aqui para pesquisarInscreva-seNotícias|Crise Climática Incêndio florestal na Central Colombia ameaça cidade turística de Villa de Leyva O país tem enfrentado múltiplos incêndios florestais em meio a temperaturas recordes alimentadas por El Nino e condições de seca intensa.

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The forest fire is near the Andean town in the Boyaca department, with flames engulfing the San Marcos hillside above the colonial architecture and cobblestone streets that attract more than a million visitors annually.

The blaze has already consumed 40 hectares of native forest, sending massive plumes of smoke that are visible from the town’s central square, according to Colombian authorities.

Na noite de sábado, o presidente colombiano Abelardo de la Espriella postou no X que “Villa de Leyva não está sozinha”, prometendo mobilizar todos os recursos do Estado para combater o incêndio e proteger “essa joia histórica” e “cidade linda que é o orgulho da Colômbia”.

To combat the flames, the Boyaca department government said it is dispatching two aircraft. A military helicopter will also join the effort, along with firefighters from the capital, Bogota, Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara said.

The mayor of Bogota, Carlos Fernando Galan, will be sending a team of firefighters to join local crews from Tunja and Boyaca, reinforcing containment efforts and securing the urban centre, Lara said.

In the equatorial Andes, forest fires peak during the dry season, but this year they are fuelled by a severe El Nino weather pattern. Record high temperatures and lack of moisture have turned vast expanses of the Andean vegetation into tinderboxes.

Isso intensificou uma crise que já começou com 18 incêndios ativos em todo o país, de acordo com os últimos dados oficiais da Unidade Nacional de Gestão de Risco de Desastres da Colômbia (UNGRD).

The impacts of El Nino, a natural weather pattern, are felt globally and do not affect the entire South American continent in the same way, inducing extreme droughts in some regions and torrential flooding in others.

This year, it comes supercharged by the effects of climate change, which is worrying many scientists, governments and aid workers.

The warming of the adjacent Pacific has triggered catastrophic flash floods and landslides in countries such as Peru and Ecuador.

Ao contrário da parte sul do continente, onde países como Argentina, Chile e Uruguai têm esperado chuvas mais intensas do que o habitual, El Niño tem o efeito oposto na parte norte do continente.

A significant reduction in rainfall leads to severe drought conditions which can suppress cloud formation and displace normal rain patterns, driving average temperatures well above normal.

O calor crescente evapora rapidamente a umidade do solo e das bacias de água, deixando países como a Colômbia com períodos prolongados de seca e precipitação criticamente baixa.

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• The blaze has already consumed 40 hectares of native forest, sending massive plumes of smoke