COSTA RICA STAR NEWS BRIEF

Costa Rica’s Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia, in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, has resumed operations after being forced to close for nearly three hours due to an out of control brushfire adjacent to the airport, airport operation authorities and the fire department confirmed to The Costa Rica Star Tuesday afternoon.

The airport was forced to close around 12.30 p.m. on Tuesday after heavy smoke from the fire severely diminished visibility for departing and arriving aircraft.

Firefighters had been fighting the blaze since about 10 a.m., according to reports.

The airport was able to reopen around 3 p.m., and is now operating normally, the fire department told The Costa Rica Star.

Since late 2014, Guanacaste has been in the midst of the province’s worst drought recorded since 1937, which has fueled recurrent and frequent wildfires and brushfires.