QUITO: Shrouded in clouds of ash and smoke from five simultaneous forest fires on Tuesday, Quito is facing a “critical” situation, according to the Ecuadorian capital’s mayor. “We have at least five fires,” said Pabel Munoz X, describing the situation as “critical at the moment.” The fight against the flames “will not end in the next few hours, it will certainly continue throughout the night,” he said. More than 100 families were evacuated as a precaution, the municipality said in a statement, while the Education Ministry canceled classes in the Quito metropolitan area. Large plumes of smoke billowed from the eastern edge of the capital, where the two fires were concentrated, and many roads were cut off, AFP journalists noted. In the residential area of Bellavista, northeast of Quito, residents formed human chains to pour water on the pavement as elderly people left their homes with the help of police and soldiers. President Daniel Noboa mobilized the armed forces in response to the fires. “Fire helicopters will come to support as soon as the pilots can safely assume their task,” he wrote on X. The fire department had previously posted on X that “all our teams are deployed”. There were also reports of ash falling in the north of the city and in the historic center, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Three weeks ago, four forest fires already covered several areas in and around the capital with smoke and ash, without affecting airport operations. Ecuador is facing its worst drought in six decades.
