Colombian officials say criminal groups could have set Tolima forest fires

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — The governor of Colombia’s Tolima province said Tuesday that criminal groups could be behind some of the forest fires that have burned almost 30,000 hectares (74,131 acres) of land this month in the country's central region.

In an interview, Gov. Adriana Matiz said there are “serious clues” that suggest saboteurs caused some of the fires, adding that she has filed a complaint with Colombia’s attorney general.

Matiz said videos filmed by locals show men on motorcycles setting fires to some areas. She said a report by a local fire department has said gasoline was used to cause one.

The governor said armed groups could be using the fires to distract law enforcement from a strategic area where criminal groups profit from gold mines.

In a message on X on Monday, President Abelardo de la Espriella expressed concern that some fires may have been caused deliberately and said he had asked law enforcement to investigate.

De la Espriella also said he had asked the governments of the United States and Chile for support to put out the fires.

Temperatures in Tolima this month have been unusually high, reaching more than 2 degrees Celsius above average in some areas, while rain has been 30% lower than usual, according to the province’s environmental agency, Cortolima.

Other areas of Colombia have experienced forest fires this month, including the provinces of Cundinamarca, Valle del Cauca, Narino and Boyaca.

In Tolima, the worst affected region, 50 homes and almost 8,000 hectares of farmland have been destroyed by the fires, according to the regional government. They have caused no deaths.

“We have people who lost all of their corn crop, or their lemons. People who have no way to feed their cattle,” Matiz said. “We are going to face a strong economic crisis that we are starting to prepare for.”