Helicopters battle wildfire threatening Ecuador’s capital

Ecuadoran firefighters backed by helicopters on Friday battled a major blaze on a hill overlooking the capital Quito that has led to the evacuation of dozens of people.

Four helicopters were deployed to extinguish the fire on Casitagua hill, where enormous plumes of smoke were rising into the air.

On the ground, around 100 firefighters were fighting to contain two hotspots, captain Pablo Andino of the Quito Fire Department told AFP.

The area has “a lot of brush and trees, and the wind gusts are causing the fire to spread very quickly,” Andino said, noting that firefighters were “at great risk.”

It has not rained for over a month in Quito, creating tinder dry conditions that have abetted the outbreak of several fires, eight of which were still active on Friday.

There have been no reports of injuries or damage to homes so far.

Nearly 50 people were evacuated on Thursday from northern Quito as a precautionary measure.

Quito mayor Pabel Munoz estimated the area consumed by flames on Casitagua at around 100 hectares.

Two military and police training academies are situated at the foot of the hill, along with residential complexes.

To prevent the flames from advancing, residents “dug a trench and threw dirt into it,” Marta Gonzalez, a 68-year-old seamstress living in the area, told AFP.

City authorities have recorded nearly 200 wildfires between June and September, destroying about 1,200 hectares of forest in the capital.

In 2024, Quito faced one of the worst forest fires in decades, when a blaze started deliberately injured six people and destroyed homes.