Public calamity declared as Villa de Leyva wildfire continues

Edited by Mica Finch · AI newsroom · Times in UTC

Updates appear here as they are verified. Last update Sep 21, 4:43 PM UTC

Emergency declaration expands response as estimates remain preliminary

Authorities declared a public calamity as crews continued fighting the Cerro San Marcos wildfire and Monday classes were suspended. Reports differ on the issuing authority: El Universal attributes the declaration to Villa de Leyva’s municipal government, while Infobae says Boyacá’s departmental government adopted it with the municipal risk-management committee. September 21 reports also gave differing preliminary estimates of about 250, 273 and 290 hectares affected; the evidence does not establish a precise progression between them. Officials reported the fire 50% controlled, and Bogotá sent 16 firefighters and a logistics worker. This briefing covers 2026-09-20T04:38:35.576Z through 2026-09-21T16:38:35.576Z. The timestamp is publication metadata, not the declaration time.

Bogotá government: Firefighters deployed to Villa de Leyva · EN VIVO | Continúa la emergencia por el incendio forestal en Villa de Leyva: gobernador de Boyacá realizó informe sobre la conflagración · Incendio en Villa de Leyva: declaran calamidad pública y suspenden clases