President of Ecuador Daniel Noboa abruptly canceled his address to the United Nations General Assembly, scheduled for Wednesday, to return home in response to raging forest fires in the capital city of Quito.
According to local authorities, the forest fires, which affected some 36,000 hectares, were caused by arson. The office of Ecuador’s Attorney General launched an investigation to identify and detain the individuals responsible, it announced.
Noboa, who took office in November 2023, was slated to give his debut General Assembly speech on Wednesday morning. The Ecuadorian president announced the cancellation of his agenda at the U.N. in a social media post on Tuesday evening.
“I have canceled the agenda I had to fulfill as head of state at the UN. Quito needs us all. I am returning to lead all efforts against the enemy we are facing,” Noboa’s message read. “We are experiencing the worst climate situation in decades, which requires urgent decisions at all levels of government. If this is found to have been caused intentionally, those involved will be prosecuted for terrorism.”
“Ecuador: adversity will find us more determined than ever,” the message concluded.
According to reports, between five to seven forest fires simultaneously erupted in the afternoon hours of Tuesday in Quito’s northern municipality of Guápulo that rapidly spread to other nearby areas and the city’s Guangüiltagua Metropolitan Park. The emergency situation worsened as winds spread a large cloud of smoke and residue over the capital city, affecting the air quality, leading the Ecuadorian Education Ministry to suspend in-person classes on Wednesday.
At press time, local outlets reported that more than 100 families were evacuated and there are at least six injured as of Wednesday morning.
Quito’s Mayor Pabel Muñoz told local media on Wednesday that the fires were controlled in some of the city’s eastern areas but that it has not been completely extinguished.
Muñoz also confirmed that the fires were caused by arson and described those responsible as “criminals and terrorists.” The mayor further stated that a child suffered minor burns and two firefighters were injured during the firefighting operations. According to Muñoz, between two and four homes were damaged by the fires, but a more complete evaluation will be conducted.
Ecuadorian Environment Minister Inés Manzano echoed Mayor Muñoz’s statements and confirmed that the massive fires were purposely started, according to information provided by Quito’s fire department. Manzano stated that the fires affected about 36,600 hectares of territory.
The minister added that the scheduled rolling power blackouts would be suspended on Tuesday in Quito. Ecuador has for months endured a severe energy crisis and drought that has affected its energy generation capabilities, leading to blackouts that can last up to 14 hours. According to local authorities, the energy crisis is worsened by a purported lack of investment and maintenance of the country’s power grid infrastructure by previous administrations.
Ecuadorian Minister of Government Arturo Félix Wong called on local residents on Tuesday evening to help authorities identify those responsible for the fires. Interior Minister Mónica Palencia announced local telephone numbers that will provide information on the subjects and informed that the government would offer a reward for information that can lead to the whereabouts of the responsible individuals.
“If they know who could have caused these fires, let us know. The Attorney General’s Office has a team working with the Mayor’s Office, the Prefecture and the Government to ensure that this is not an isolated incident,” Wong said.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.