by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Ecuador on Monday (November 18) declared a 60-day state of national emergency amid raging wildfires, which have resulted in evacuations and the destruction of 24,700 acres of land, Reuters reports. The situation has remained critical.
As of Monday, Ecuador’s firefighting efforts were focused on 13 fires, nine of which had been brought under control. The fires have destroyed large sections of protected areas, including Cajas National Park, which houses diverse flora and fauna.
The fires, which affected the provinces of Azuay and Loja especially, were exacerbated by a four-month-long severe drought that caused water shortages and power outages of up to 14 hours a day, Reuters said.
“The whole country is suffering the ravages of this great drought that has already lasted almost 120 days,” Ecuador’s Risk Management Secretary Jorge Carrillo told local radio broadcaster FM Mundo.
Carrillo stressed the importance of fighting the fire by air as many affected areas with rugged terrain are exceedingly difficult to reach by land. International assistance has been sought, and Italy and Peru have provided firefighting helicopters, AFP reported.
Other South American countries, including Peru and Brazil, have also faced droughts and ensuing wildfires this year.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
More Worthy News
Iran is increasing pressure on Hezbollah to join any future war with Israel, even as Tehran appears reluctant to enter direct conflict for now.
Major Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, known as “El Mencho,” was killed Sunday during a military operation in Jalisco state, Mexico’s Defense Department announced, delivering one of the most significant blows to organized crime in recent years.
Anti-government protests have erupted at multiple Iranian universities, marking the largest campus demonstrations since January’s deadly nationwide crackdown, as nuclear negotiations with the United States proceed under the shadow of possible military action.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel’s decision to accelerate the construction of artificial intelligence server farms represents a “major breakthrough” and a strategic step toward strengthening the nation’s global standing.
President Donald Trump on Saturday said he would raise global tariffs to 15%. The announcement on social media comes a day after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his use of a 1977 law to impose tariffs on imports from around the world.
A woman adopted as a toddler by an American war veteran from an Iranian orphanage in the 1970s is facing possible deportation from the United States to Iran, where she could face execution for converting from Islam to Christianity, sources confirmed Sunday.
A man carrying a shotgun and a gas can was shot and killed early Sunday after breaching the inner security perimeter of U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, authorities said.