CARACAS, (Reuters) – A blaze raged on the Avila mountain over Caracas for a third day yesterday, threatening wildlife in its national park and sending smoke billowing over the upper reaches of the Venezuelan capital.
Since the weekend, the fire has lit up the night sky and consumed nearly 120 hectares (300 acres) of the Avila’s thickly wooded slopes, which are home to more than 120 mammal species and 500 types of bird.
The authorities said some 200 firemen, police and volunteers had been battling the flames, which have been fanned by strong winds and the heat caused by a severe drought.
Civil Protection director Luis Diaz Curbelo said they had thought they had the blaze under control.
“But during the day the heat and the breeze mean that any spot still alight can set off the blaze again, and that’s what happened yesterday,” he told reporters.
