Fire threatening Colombian tourist gem partially under control: governor

Colombian firefighters on Monday partially brought under control a wildfire that was threatening one of the South American nation's tourist gems, the colonial town of Villa de Leyva, a local official said.

Villa de Levya, situated about three hours north of Bogota in the Andes, is famous for its colonial architecture and cobblestone streets.

Helicopters were deployed to combat a line of fire that began on Saturday in a forest and ripped across a hill towards the town, forcing the evacuation of two hotels on the slopes.

One hotel was damaged by the flames.

"Yesterday we were able to contain all the hotspots throughout the night (...) near the houses," Carlos Amaya, governor of the department of Boyaca, where Villa de Leyva is situated, told Caracol Radio on Monday.

The town, which attracts nearly a million tourists each year, was shrouded in smoke.

According to regional authorities, in just a day and a half, nearly 300 hectares of forest and moorland were ravaged by the fire.

On Sunday, Interior Minister Rodrigo Lara said that the fire was 50 percent contained.

Colombia, which is suffering drier-than-usual conditions due to the EL Nino weather phenomenon, is currently battling nearly twenty active wildfires, according to the latest report from the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management.

El Nino, a weather pattern that raises surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, brings warmer temperatures, resulting in more droughts and flooding.

A dozen wildfires are also burning in neighboring Ecuador.

Firefighters in Ecuador's capital Quito continued to battle a fire that had burning on a hill near the capital for a fifth straight day.