The Facts

• Ecuador Monday declared a 60-day national emergency amid intensifying wildfires and an acute drought. Energy Minister Ines Manzano reported 17 active fires and five controlled ones, with the southern Azuay and Loja provinces being the hardest-hit.

• Officials have said that 40K hectares of crops have been gutted and over 44K farm animals killed. Peru and Italy are helping Ecuador control the blaze, with multiple helicopters and hundreds of firefighters and volunteers working on the ground.

• Pres. Daniel Noboa's government has also imposed power cuts as Ecuador's worst drought in 60 years have shut down its key hydroelectric plants — the source of 70% of the country’s electricity — and with even the supply from Colombia affected.