Fire near Machu Picchu brought under control
Peruvian firefighters took control of a fire on Friday, August 25th, very close to the legendary Machu Picchu ruins. The forest fire burned around 120 hectares of woodland in an area located in the Cusco region, just 17 kilometers away from the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu.
Jessica Morón, in charge of fire control at the Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary, told the state news agency Andina that the blaze was contained, but there are still two hotspots in rugged areas that are being monitored to prevent the fire from spreading again.
The fire started on Tuesday and occurred in a village called Ccollpani, which belongs to the buffer zone surrounding the Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary. Inside this area is the Inca stone citadel, the most visited place in Peru by international tourists.
The Machu Picchu Historical Sanctuary covers over 38,000 hectares, with an additional 230,000-hectare buffer zone, according to data from the Ministry of Culture.
The official mentioned that this is the third forest fire within the buffer zone and that the fire burned grasslands as well as crops of cassava, bananas, and coffee. Authorities still don’t know the cause of the fire, but they recognize the widespread practice among farmers of burning grass to prepare the land before replanting. In many cases, the fire gets out of control and causes wildfires.
On Wednesday, another forest fire in the Apurímac region resulted in five deaths, 10 seriously injured, and more than 200 affected hectares.
Forest fires have increased in the Peruvian Andes over the past two decades, according to authorities. According to official data, around 1,800 fires occurred in 2020, mostly in the southern regions of Peru, including Cusco and Apurímac.
