QUITO (AP) — More than 20 schools in Quito began offering classes online Thursday because of poor air quality caused by three wildfires raging in Ecuador’s capital that hundreds of firefighters are battling by air and land amid strong winds.
Authorities have urged children, the elderly and people with respiratory illnesses to avoid going outside and, if necessary, to take precautionary measures against the polluting effects of smoke and airborne particles.
“The air quality in Quito has been affected,” said Mayor Pabel Muñoz, in statements to the Teleamazonas channel, and recommended the use of face masks. He also reported that thousands of animals from a poultry farm and 20 heads of cattle died on Wednesday from asphyxiation. On Wednesday afternoon and evening, 45 people were evacuated from the affected areas.
The Ministry of Education ordered the change from in-person to virtual learning in educational institutions in the affected area yesterday. The measure could be extended depending on how the situation evolves.
Valeria Díaz, a technician with the Municipal Environment Department, explained to The Associated Press that “pollution is beginning to rise” as the hours pass due to the lingering gases in the air that are carried by the winds, in addition to the smoke from the fires that are still active.
“We can already smell the smoke again,” said Díaz, “and it is recommended that people who are sensitive to the smoke or have respiratory illnesses wear face masks.”
The recommendation was also issued by the municipal department, which in a statement suggested that minors remain inside their homes, especially around midday.
The Quito Fire Department warned on its X account, formerly Twitter, about the presence of fire due to strong winds, so some 600 people are deployed to combat the fire.
The coming and going of the firefighters’ helicopter with its water-discharging system was noticeable in the city, as was the wailing of the sirens of the water tankers. Even so, in the streets of northern Quito, where the atmosphere seemed clear, few people wore face masks.
Regarding the reasons that caused the fires, Muñoz said that the hypothesis includes the burning of plant waste on the land of the residents and did not rule out a premeditated act due to the sequence of fires, for which reason he requested an investigation.
Ecuador is facing a dry season in much of the country and the winds and high temperatures, as well as low humidity, create a favorable scenario for forest fires.
According to the Risk Management Secretariat, there are currently 13 active fires in the country and another seven are under control.
Air quality is also affected in Cuenca, 300 kilometres south of the capital, due to one of the largest forest fires in the country in recent years, which has consumed nearly 5,000 hectares.
