Rains calm fires in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada

Controlled, although on alert by the authorities, are the fire outbreaks in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, where the recent drizzles have calmed the flames, allowing relief agencies to take control in territories del Cesar, La Guajira and the center of Magdalena.

However, several active outbreaks still persist in indigenous territories, where communities place their hopes in the precipitation forecasts by Ideam. Arhuaco indigenous groups participated in extinguishing the flames, and according to estimates, more than 1,000 hectares were affected.

The National Army reported that in support of the Valledupar Firefighters, the Civil Defense and the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (Ungrd), they managed to intervene and subsequently extinguish several forest fires that occurred in the department of Cesar.

One of the main efforts was focused on the Minas de Iracal district of the municipality of Pueblo Bello, very close to Valledupar, where they have managed to control different outbreaks using cooling, insulation and suffocation techniques.

In the last few hours, through a reconnaissance and inspection overflight, the Cesar Risk Management Office confirmed “that the Sabana Crespo forest fire was eliminated. “All our actions against the El Niño phenomenon continue.”

According to Ideam, so far in 2024, five conflagrations have already been recorded in the Sierra Nevada with devastating consequences for the flora and fauna of this ecosystem that covers several departments of the Colombian Caribbean.

So far this year, 553 fires have occurred in the country, six of them still active, according to the latest report from the National Disaster Risk Management Unit (Ungrd), affecting the departments of Cesar, Boyacá, Santander, Magdalena and Vichada.

In Cesar, Ideam has the municipality of Valledupar on orange alert due to risks of forest fires.

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