More than two dozen wildfires, one of which is burning a forested area in the hills near the capital Bogota, are ravaging Colombia, authorities said Wednesday.

“There are 21 active fire outbreaks across the country,” the civil protection agency (UNGRD) said in a statement.

The day before Tuesday, authorities were talking about four forest fires, one in the highlands near the capital.

The outbreaks are located in the provinces of Vicada (east), Antioquia (west), Santander (east), Valledupar (north), Norte de Santander (northeast) and Boyaca (central). However, the most affected prefecture is Cudinamarca (in the center), also with Bogotá as its capital. At least five municipalities are affected.

Paramos, mountain ecosystems key to the water cycle, are destroyed by the flames.

In nine municipalities in the north, center and east of the country, temperatures broke records the day before Tuesday, reaching up to 40.4° Celsius.

“The mayors were warned about the seriousness of the El Niño phenomenon (…) The forecasts (of the meteorologists) turned out to be accurate,” commented President Gustavo Petros through X (former Twitter), who already warned on January 10 that “we are in red alert for forest fires”.

The country is facing “the El Niño phenomenon that is exacerbated by climate change. This will likely be the hottest year in human history around the world,” he stressed, calling on “every mayor, every governor and the national government to make water a priority.”

“The national plan to supply water to the dozens of municipalities that lack it is working. So far, we have put out hundreds of fires,” he assured yesterday.

The fire in hills near Bogotá known as Cerros Orientales broke out on Monday. Authorities estimate that it has burned at least 120 acres of forest land.

“The work done during the night allowed the fire to be contained. As of this hour, we can say that 70% of the front has been controlled,” Mayor Carlos Fernando Galan said.

More than 270 firefighters, military and rescue workers are trying to contain the fires with the help of two helicopters, a light aircraft and drones. Four people were slightly injured, according to the municipality.

Authorities warned against a “severe deterioration” in air quality in the capital of about 8 million people. Wild animals were seen taking refuge in urban areas, in the foothills.

The day before Tuesday, the mayor said that the fire may have been caused by burning by residents. An arson investigation is underway.

Colombia’s climate agency (IDEAM) has put 883 of the country’s 1,101 municipalities on alert for the risk of fires, with more than half (586) on red alert.