Ecuador has declared a 60-day national emergency to tackle wildfires, water shortages, and drought afflicting the South American country. Energy Minister Ines Manzano said that seventeen active fires and five controlled ones were reported in different parts of the country. The minister said that the southern provinces of Azuay and Loja were the hardest hit by the blaze. According to media reports, extreme drought has plunged Ecuador into an unprecedented energy crisis, forcing the government to announce large-scale power cuts since September, which can last up to eight hours.