Fire, which started last Tuesday, started with farmers burning grass and garbage to prepare for planting new crops. Then its area was only 0.25 square kilometers.
But already on Wednesday, about 20 hectares were affected by the fire, the mayor of the nearby city of Cusco said.
Machu Picchu — The complex of stone structures, located high in the Andes between two mountain peaks, was built more than 500 years ago by the Incas, whose empire controlled vast territories of South America from modern southern Ecuador to central Chile.
The actions of firefighters are greatly complicated by the remoteness of the burning area .
“We are fighting the forest fire almost around the clock, but it is not possible to bring it under control, given that the area is difficult to access and it is not possible to deliver powerful equipment here”, — commented on the situation in Cusco City Hall.
The breathtaking ruins of Machu Picchu, which made the surrounding region of Cusco a major tourist destination in Peru, were recognized in 2007 as one of the new seven wonders of the world.