Rio de Janeiro, Sept 22. (dpa/GNA) – A large wildfire has broken out near the Colombian tourist town of Villa de Leyva, burning across hundreds of hectares, authorities said.
Around 290 hectares had been affected, Colombia’s disaster management agency UNGRD said on Monday.
Several residents have been evacuated, along with guests from two hotels, as a precaution. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported.
Thirty-seven people have received medical treatment, most of them emergency workers, according to radio station Blu Radio.
More than 400 emergency personnel and volunteers are working to bring the fire under control. “There is also a major risk that one of Colombia’s most important nature reserves for wildlife and plant life, the Iguaque Nature Reserve, could suffer irreversible damage,” Boyacá Governor Carlos Amaya told Caracol Radio.
Villa de Leyva has declared a state of disaster because of the fire. Around half of the blaze is now considered under control, but strong winds in the mountainous region are making firefighting more difficult and could cause new fires to break out.
The cause of the fire remains unclear, with authorities also investigating whether human activity may have played a role.
Villa de Leyva, around 165 kilometres north of the capital Bogotá, is a popular tourist destination known for its well-preserved colonial architecture and historic centre.
GNA