The pictures are shocking. The El Ángel Ecological Reserve has been burning since the night of Wednesday, January 24, and until yesterday more than 170 firefighters were making heroic efforts to contain it.

The fire remains in the El Ángel ecological reserve and has already covered 900 hectares

It’s not the only area that faced wildfires over the weekend. In Cotopaxi, it took nine hours to put out the fire that broke out on the night of January 26 in Los Llanganates National Park. In this case, the flames consumed about 30 hectares.

In the El Ángel Ecological Reserve, which covers 16,541 hectares, an estimated 900 have been consumed by yesterday.

The reserve is a source that supplies water to several cantons in the province of Carchi, which is why the mayor of Espejo, Arnaldo Cuacés, described this fire as a disaster.

A forest fire has consumed 250 hectares of the El Ángel ecological reserve in Carchi

Indeed, forest fires are an accident. Not only do they destroy fauna and flora, but they affect the lives of people who, paradoxically, in many cases are the ones who cause them.

Economic losses are another effect due to the mobilization of firefighters, fire engines and even helicopters.

“A person who directly or indirectly causes a fire or incites the commission of such acts, in native or planted forests, shall be punished by imprisonment from one to three years,” reads the Comprehensive Organic Criminal Code (COIP); If the offense was committed in protected, sensitive or endangered areas, the maximum penalty increased by one third will be applied.

Firefighters from Quito are traveling to the province of Carchi to assist with a large-scale forest fire

Vegetable burning and sports bonfires are among the causes of forest fires in Ecuador. High temperatures, strong winds and ultraviolet radiation are also risk factors.

Available data for 2023 show that from January 1 to October 13, 3,003 forest fires caused the loss of 28,416.70 ha of vegetation cover.

The authorities must be strict in their controls, and citizens must be aware of the damage. This year is just beginning and high temperatures are expected, so the entire population must be on their guard. (OR)