Fire destroys forest north of Bogota

A total of 30 hectares of forest to the north-east of Bogota were consumed by a fire that began Saturday and is now under control, but not yet extinguished.

The director of the Bogota Fire Fighters Association Mauricio Toro said the fire had been brought under control thanks to the combined efforts of Bogota fire fighters, volunteers, the army and the air force.

The army and the air force provided a helicopter each to help control the blaze. Toro said the air force helicopter had picked up water from a reservoir north of Bogota because fire fighters were having problems accessing certain points of the fire.

Strong winds prevented the helicopters from flying over the area and spraying water on the fire.

Fire have been raging around Colombia this dry season and tens of thousands of hectares of forest have been destroyed. Colombia is undergoing a period of extreme drought and heat caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

Officials have reported that there is little hope for relief from the drought, and that the dry season could run through April.

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