Rising temperatures cause forest fires throughout Colombia

Since July 24 the number of acres affected by forest fires has more than doubled, local media reported Tuesday.

According to reports from the National System of Emergencies, nearly 7,400 acres of farmland and forests have been scorched in the past week, up from 3,460 acres. The government agency attributes the sharp increase to rising temperatures throughout the country.

In the last two months there have been 210 registered fires in 16 departments, with Ideam noting special attention should be given to several departments in central and southwestern Colombian, most notably Boyaca, Huila, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Cauca and Narino.

The most recent cases occurred Monday in Tolima and Bogota, the country’s capital.

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