About 45 km from Hospital Diospi Suyana
When some mountain farmers burned their fields last Tuesday – a common practice in Peru – the fire got out of control. Firefighters battled the flames for three days. Firefighting efforts were hampered by the terrain, which was difficult to access. As the English Guardian reports, the fires near the ancient ruined city of Machu Picchu destroyed an area the size of about 50 football fields. On the other side of the mountain range, 45 km away as the crow flies, is the Diospi Suyana mission hospital in the small town of Curahuasi. (Photo: The Guardian)
