A wildfire tore through Quito's La Vicentina and Itchimbía districts on Sunday, September 13, sending a column of smoke visible from Carcelén to Bicentenario before crews declared the blaze controlled by 8:30 p.m. that night. By the time the flames died down, an estimated 5 hectares of vegetation had burned, according to Quito's Fire Department.
The fire — one of two that broke out across the capital the same day — forced the closure of a major avenue and triggered air-quality monitoring in 169 neighborhoods, a reminder of how vulnerable Quito remains deep into Ecuador's dry season.
Smoke Visible Across the City
The La Vicentina fire ignited around 1:45–2:00 p.m. on September 13 near the Itchimbía, Las Orquídeas and El Dorado sectors, according to El Comercio, which reported that the flames pushed close to homes in the Casales Gabriela housing complex as a thick smoke column rose over the city.
Hours earlier, a separate fire had broken out in Catzuquí de Moncayo, on rural slopes north of the city. Primicias reported that crews battled the blaze on a steep, hard-to-reach hillside complicated by strong winds. Ecuador's emergency dispatch service, ECU-911, confirmed both fires were brought under control the same day.
Two Fronts, Dozens of Firefighters
At the height of the emergency, roughly 70 firefighters were mobilized between the two fires, according to a report by Infobae, citing the EFE news agency. At the Catzuquí de Moncayo fire, Fire Chief Esteban Cárdenas said the flames were burning in a hard-to-reach ravine, where strong winds were complicating firefighting efforts, according to Infobae. The same EFE dispatch, also carried by Prensa Latina, quoted Cárdenas rejecting "these acts caused by irresponsible people, putting lives and environment at risk."
Earlier in the day, ECU-911 had deployed closer to 60 firefighters and 14 vehicles to the Vicentina-Itchimbía front, per eldiario.ec, which also reported that the dispatch agency coordinated responses to 45 wildfires across eight provinces nationwide within a 24-hour span. Separately, Radio Pichincha counted 12 to 13 active fires nationwide, with two already controlled, in a midday snapshot the same Sunday.
Road Closures and Air-Quality Monitoring
The fire's proximity to residential areas forced the closure of Avenida Velasco Ibarra between El Trébol and the Coliseo Rumiñahui, leaving two lanes open southbound and just one lane open northbound, according to Expreso, which said the fire affected seven surrounding neighborhoods. El Comercio confirmed the roughly 5-hectare estimate for La Vicentina and Itchimbía and reported that circulation remained restricted even after the fire was declared controlled.
The city's Secretariat of Environment activated air-quality monitoring in 169 neighborhoods, classifying seven for direct attention, 112 for possible impact and 50 for preventive surveillance, according to Primicias.
What Sparked the Flames?
Mayor Pabel Muñoz said human negligence — possibly a discarded cigarette — is the leading hypothesis, though fire investigators had not yet issued a final determination. "Evidently, it was human activity that started this," Muñoz said, according to Expreso, which reported that flame temperatures reached roughly 600°C before dropping to between 200°C and 250°C as cooling operations advanced.Muñoz vowed accountability, saying via Radio Pichincha that "we will identify those responsible and apply the most severe sanctions permitted under the law."
By the morning of September 14, cooling operations were still underway. "Although there are no longer traces of fire, there is still smoke in the area," fire brigade chief Miguel Llumiquinga said, according to Notimundo. Llumiquinga is also the Fire Department source credited with the roughly 5-hectare damage estimate, first reported by Extra.ec. No injuries or damaged structures have been reported from either fire. Footage from the scene showed residents helping firefighters battle the flames near homes, aired by Al Jazeera.
A Difficult Dry Season
The La Vicentina and Catzuquí fires add to what has already been a punishing dry season for Quito. Between July 1 and the first week of September, the capital recorded 154 wildfires that burned 1,118 hectares, according to Fire Department records cited by Primicias. The outlet reported that 191 people have been sanctioned for open-air burning this season, with seven cases referred to prosecutors and one person held in pretrial detention. Fines for the most serious wildfire offenses can reach $36,150, the mayor said.
City officials have urged residents to report suspicious burning immediately, warning that outdoor fires — even small ones — can spread rapidly in the dry, windy conditions that have fueled this year's fire season. The number of firefighters assigned to La Vicentina climbed from an initial 60 to roughly 70 as the operation extended into the night, and authorities have not ruled out further reinforcement if new outbreaks emerge.
