Colombia Wildfires Intensify as El Nino Conditions Fuel Blazes

August 25, 2026

Bogota: Wildfires continue to intensify in Colombia amid El Nino conditions, with 12 fires remaining active across three departments, according to the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management.

The agency said on Monday (local time) that 84 wildfires had been extinguished over the past seven days. The active fires are concentrated in Tolima, which has 10, while Caldas and Huila have one each.

Tolima Faces Severe Wildfire Situation

Santiago Herrera, mayor of Coello, one of the hardest-hit municipalities in Tolima, has called for immediate support from the national government to fight the fires from the air.

Herrera said the municipality was facing a critical situation, with high temperatures, strong winds and the number of active fires making it difficult to bring the blazes fully under control.

Three rural areas in Coello currently have six active fire spots, while local firefighting units are facing shortages and logistical challenges in covering all affected areas.

Around 100 people specialising in rescue and wildfire response are working alongside local residents, but Herrera said helicopter support was urgently needed.

He said aerial support could help lower temperatures and enable ground crews to reach fire-affected areas more effectively.

Over 2,000 Hectares Affected

More than 2,000 hectares have been affected in Coello alone, along with around 7,000 people, particularly in the rural area of Chaguala.

The wildfires in Colombia began in early August and have been mainly linked to El Nino conditions. Authorities have said the climate conditions could persist in the country until March 2027.

El Nino Fuels Fire Risk

El Nino is a natural climate pattern characterised by warming ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said on Monday that the daily global average sea surface temperature reached 21.1 degrees Celsius on August 22, surpassing the previous record of 21.09 degrees Celsius recorded in March 2024.