A raging wildfire filled Ecuador's capital of Quito with smoke and threatened homes on Tuesday as authorities rushed to control the blaze at a time when a historic drought has stretched resources and patience.

A wildfire raging in Quito has forced residents to flee their homes and Ecuador’s president to make an emergency return from abroad.

Firefighters battled five blazes on the outskirts of Ecuador's capital Quito on Wednesday, as wildfires continue to rip through South American nations turned into tinderboxes by droughts linked to