A massive wildfire has broken out in central Colombia, threatening the popular tourist town of Villa de Leyva, according to local officials. The fire is located in the Boyaca department and is encroaching on San Marcos hillside, an area known for its colonial architecture and cobblestone streets that attract over a million visitors annually.

Fire Response and Mobilization

The blaze has already consumed 40 hectares of native forest, with smoke plumes visible from the town’s central square, according to Colombian authorities. On Saturday night, Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella posted on X, stating that “Villa de Leyva is not alone” and pledging to mobilise all state resources to fight the fire and protect the town.

To combat the flames, the Boyaca department government said it is dispatching two aircraft to assist in firefighting efforts — a military helicopter will also join the effort, along with firefighters from Bogota, Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara said. The mayor of Bogota, Carlos Fernando Galan, is sending a team of firefighters to join local crews from Tunja and Boyaca to reinforce containment efforts and secure the urban centre.

Impact of El Nino and Climate Change

Forest fires in the equatorial Andes typically peak during the dry season, but this year they are being fuelled by a severe El Nino weather pattern. Record high temperatures and lack of moisture have turned vast expanses of Andean vegetation into tinderboxes, intensifying the crisis that has already triggered 18 active wildfires across the country, according to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD).

El Nino, a natural weather pattern, is felt globally and does not affect the entire South American continent in the same way, but it induces extreme droughts in some regions and torrential flooding in others. This year, it has been exacerbated by the effects of climate change, which has raised concerns among 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. Unlike in the southern part of the continent, where countries including Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay have seen unseasonably heavy rainfall, El Nino is causing the opposite effect in the northern part. A significant reduction in rainfall has led to severe drought conditions, which suppress cloud formation and displace normal rain patterns, driving average temperatures well above normal.

Concerns and Expert Insights

The soaring heat rapidly evaporates moisture from the ground and water basins, leaving countries like Colombia with extended periods of drought and critically low precipitation. Stephanie Roe, a lead climate scientist with the World Wildlife Fund, said, “El Nino can bring devastating climate extremes on its own, but it’s unfolding today on a much warmer planet, increasing the likelihood that heat, drought, floods, and fires will push communities and ecosystems beyond anything they have experienced before.”

El Nino’s effects are compounded by the overall warming of the planet, which increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. This has led to a growing number of crises across the region, with Colombia being particularly vulnerable to the combination of El Nino and climate change.