A large forest fire has broken out near Villa de Leyva (a colonial-era tourist town in Colombia's central Boyacá department), consuming at least 40 hectares of native forest and sending plumes of smoke visible from the town's main square. President Abelardo de la Espriella pledged full state resources to protect the town, which draws more than a million visitors a year, while authorities deployed military helicopters, aircraft, and firefighting teams from the capital, Bogotá. The blaze is among 18 active wildfires currently burning across Colombia, driven by record temperatures and severe drought linked to an El Niño weather pattern that scientists warn is being intensified by climate change.