‘The last straw’: Gang-ravaged Ecuador now battling record fires

Firefighters and helicopters battled five forest fires on the outskirts of Quito, injuring six people, destroying homes and evacuating dozens of families – Copyright AFP Galo Paguay

Santiago PIEDRA SILVA

Ecuador’s capital, Quito, is already struggling with horrific gang violence and is now fighting fires with limited water due to the worst drought in 60 years.

“It feels like a punishment,” said 56-year-old Fernando Muirragui, whose home narrowly escaped the flames, which authorities believe were the work of arsonists.

The misery seems to be piling up, lamented Rolando Marcillo, a 60-year-old carpenter from the fire-ravaged Bellavista neighborhood, who described the fires as “the last straw.”

Ecuador is one of the South American countries struggling with massive forest fires that have destroyed millions of hectares as a result of one of the worst droughts in years, which experts blame on climate change.

The Andean country has had virtually no rain for almost three months, making survival difficult.

So far this year, 3,300 forest fires have been recorded, destroying almost 38,000 hectares of vegetation.

Quito, a city of about three million people at an altitude of 2,850 meters, has been ravaged by fires for three weeks.

On Tuesday, five new fires broke out simultaneously on the eastern edge of the capital, some of which were still burning a day later, despite the efforts of some 2,000 firefighters, soldiers and rescue workers.

One man has been arrested on suspicion of deliberately starting one of the fires.

Six people were injured and about 100 families were evacuated to safety as residents tried to save their homes using buckets of water, sometimes carried over long distances.

– Losing money –

The fires could not have come at a worse time: 20 of Ecuador’s 24 provinces have been placed on “red alert” due to drought.

The country, which relies heavily on hydropower, is experiencing severe energy shortages, with power outages lasting up to 12 hours a day, and drinking water is becoming increasingly scarce.

Industry estimates the losses at about $12 million per hour of power loss.

“We are losing money because we cannot sell cold products such as drinks, even though demand has increased due to the heat,” supermarket owner Ana Topon, 77, told AFP.

“We are ordering fewer perishable products such as meat, which cannot be stored now due to the risk of spoilage,” because refrigerators and freezers are offline more often than on.

As farmers fight to keep their crops and livestock alive, consumers are beginning to feel the pain of price increases.

“Everything is going up because of the drought,” said 59-year-old housewife Consuelo, who did not want to give her last name.

“A bag of vegetables still costs a dollar, but there are fewer tomatoes, onions and peppers in it, and the sellers think we don’t notice.”

According to Agriculture Minister Danilo Palacios, about 40,000 hectares of crops have been affected by drought and fire.

– ‘Criminals take advantage of’ –

The people of Quito are facing a series of crises.

In addition to food shortages, rising prices and flames, they also live in fear of armed gangs seeking to exploit the chaos.

The once peaceful country of 17 million has seen an eight-fold increase in murders in the past five years as gangs fighting for control of the drug trade wage war on the state.

The lawlessness is concentrated in prisons and port areas, but has also reached Quito, where several clashes have been reported in recent days.

Five people were killed in a shooting at a hair salon last Friday.

Muirragui, whose house was nearly destroyed by fire on Tuesday, said the increase in criminal activity is making people reluctant to leave their homes.

“You can’t leave your belongings unattended because criminals will take advantage of your absence to steal,” he said.