Alert over fire on La Bandera hill in southern Cali as more than 40 firefighters respond

More than 40 firefighters were sent to La Bandera hill in southern Cali after a vegetation fire spread across two sides of the landmark.

Cali’s municipal government said the district risk-management system was active on Sept. 3. Fire crews worked on both the western and southern flanks. The western side was under control, but the southern flank remained active.

The response included four fire engines, two forest-fire crews, a water tanker, an ambulance and 45 members of the emergency service. Authorities continued monitoring the area while crews worked toward fully controlling the blaze.

The fire came as the Valle del Cauca region faced a wider forest-fire emergency. Authorities said nearly 50 fires had been recorded in 21 municipalities during an extreme dry spell in 2026, with more than 700 hectares of vegetation affected across the department. The article linked the conditions to higher temperatures, low humidity and scarce rainfall associated with El Niño.

Other fires reported in the region affected more than 400 hectares in Los Andes, near Buga, about 250 hectares inside Las Hermosas National Natural Park near Tuluá, and more than 180 hectares in the mountainous area near Yumbo. El Cerrito and Pradera together reported an estimated 253 hectares of damaged native forest and grassland.