Ecuador: Wildfires trigger national emergency

Ecuador's government declared a 60-day national emergency due to forest fires, with a severe drought worsening the situation, risk management officials said on Monday.

The state of emergency will allow the freeing of funds to tackle the multi-faceted crisis.

According to state officials, the country currently faces 13 active wildfires, with another nine wildfires having been controlled, according to an update from the government's communications office.

Drought and wildfires in Ecuador 

Eight helicopters were combating fires, with three of them having been sent by Peru and Italy.

"The whole country is suffering the ravages of this great drought that has already lasted almost 120 days," Risk Management Secretary Jorge Carrillo told local broadcaster FM Mundo.

Fires have consumed some 40,000 hectares of crops and killed more than 44,000 farm animals, according to the government. In the most-affected provinces of Azuay and Loja, more than 10,000 hectares have already been consumed by the wildfires. 

This comes as Ecuador struggles with an energy crisis that has led to power outages of up to 14 hours a day in recent months.

ftm/jsi (Reuters, AFP)