The Fire Department reported that the fires continue in the sector of La Victoria de El Quinche, in the northeast of Quito, while the other four fires recorded on Sunday were controlled.

During the night and early morning, specialized brigades kept a permanent monitoring of the area to prevent new fronts of spread and continued extinguishing isolated foci with the support of a helicopter that discharged water over the highest temperature points.

The mayor of Quito, Pabel Muñoz, announced that this Monday operations would be reinforced from the air and advise the population to reduce outdoor activities in areas affected by smoke and ash, as well as the use of masks, especially among children, elderly people and people with respiratory diseases.

In turn, the commander of the Fire Department, Esteban Cardenas, attributed most of the fires to human actions and urged citizens to report burns or suspicious activities through the emergency system.

So far, the authorities have not reported any casualties or specified the area of vegetation affected.

Fires occur in the midst of the dry season of the Ecuadorian capital, when high temperatures, low humidity, dry vegetation and strong winds increase the risk of fire spreading.

abo/oda/avr