QUITO (Reuters) – A raging wildfire filled Ecuador’s capital of Quito with smoke and threatened homes on Tuesday as authorities rushed to control the blaze at a time when a historic drought has stretched resources and patience.
President Daniel Noboa said the armed forces had been deployed to fight the fire, which started around midday in the bohemian Guapulo neighborhood and gradually spread to nearby residences and forested areas.
Some tearful residents worked desperately to put out flames, according to a Reuters witness.
“We couldn’t rescue anything. We just arrived, we didn’t know what to do … I don’t know why this is happening to us,” said Guapulo resident Rosana Cepeda.
No deaths or serious injuries have been reported.
Quito’s firefighting force said its contingents were fully deployed and that its units would be fighting fires throughout the night.
“The fire will not end in the next few hours. It will surely continue into the night,” Mayor Pabel Munoz told the press, adding that falling nighttime temperatures should help efforts to control the blaze.
Ecuador’s worst drought in over 60 years has plunged the hydropower-dependent country into an energy crisis as diminished reservoirs leave hydroelectric dams offline.
The country’s energy minister announced nationwide 12-hour power cuts on Monday and said the country’s dry season started two months early.
Power cuts scheduled for Tuesday were suspended for the coverage area of Electrica Quito, the capital city’s electric utility, the company said on social media.
(Reporting by Tito Correa, Karen Toro and Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Brendan O’Boyle; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
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