Quito Mayor Pabel Muñoz warned that the fines range from minor offenses such as smoking in areas susceptible to fires, to very serious penalties for burning vegetation residues on roads and public spaces.

In addition, citizens will be sentenced for the unauthorized use of fire in ecosystem restoration areas or for causing a forest fire due to the lack of cleanliness of a property.

Those who cause forest fires with pyrotechnics in ecologically protected areas, ecosystems, natural areas, protection areas, equipment, green spaces, or affect a public or private property by a forest fire, will have to pay fines ranging from 2,300 to 34,500 dollars, Muñoz noted.

So far this year, 631 forest fires have been reported in 16 Ecuadorian provinces and these events have caused losses of more than 5,200 hectares of vegetation.

The jurisdictions with the largest losses in vegetation cover are Pichincha, Carchi, Azuay, Guayas, Chimborazo, El Oro, Tungurahua and Imbabura.

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