Bogota residents 'feel' worsening air quality due to forest fires

At least 21 forest fires are burning in Colombia as it encounters record temperatures, in some cases prompting wild animals to seek shelter in urban areas, authorities said on Wednesday. The heat is being blamed on the weather phenomenon known as El Nino, which is typically associated with increased temperatures worldwide, drought in some parts of the world and heavy rains elsewhere.

The National Disaster Risk Management Unit said fires are burning around the country, including outside the capital Bogota. There, fire in mountains to the west of the city has been burning since Monday. For months Colombia has been suffering from record high temperatures and drought conditions in the southern hemisphere winter.

These conditions are expected to last through June, forecasters said. As of Tuesday, record temperatures up to 40.4 degrees Celsius in nine towns in the north, center and east of Colombia.