A fire is raging toward Machu Picchu, and authorities say it's 'not been possible to get it under control'

• The world wonder Machu Picchu is under threat from a fire that started on Tuesday.
• Authorities say the fire has "not been possible" to control because it's so remote, per Reuters.

A forest fire in Peru is threatening to engulf the ancient Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, one of the seven wonders of the world, as local firefighters struggle to contain the blaze in the remote Andes Mountains.

The fire was started Tuesday by agricultural burning in the area and has so far engulfed around 49 acres of land, the mayor of the city of Cusco said Wednesday, per Reuters.

The blaze has been difficult to combat because it's so remote, Roberto Abarca, director of the Cusco risk management and security office, told Reuters.

"We have already been fighting the forest fire for two days and it has not been possible to get it under control, given the area is quite inaccessible," Abarca told the outlet.

The heritage site has been threatened by fires before. In September 2020, firefighters took several hours on foot to quash a fire inside the complex itself.

Machu Picchu is what remains of an Incan stone citadel high up in the Andes Mountains. It was built more than 500 years ago and was rediscovered in 1911, later becoming a UNESCO World Heritage site and a major tourist attraction.

It was voted one of the seven wonders of the world, along with the Great Wall of China, Chichén Itzá, Petra, Christ the Redeemer, the Colosseum, and the Taj Mahal.