Bolivia wildfires set to blaze past record as forests burn

Bolivia wildfires set to blaze past record as forests burn

By Monica Machicao

Wildfires in Bolivia are now running on a track to set an all-time record, latest satellite data show, with fire hot-spots to-date overtaking the rate in the same period during major blazes in 2010 as the wider South American region burns.

Satellite data from Brazil's space research agency Inpe showed that Bolivia had 70,628 fire hot-spots up until Sept. 22, putting it ahead of the number in Jan-Sept 2010. That year finished with a record 83,119 hot-spots.

Over the weekend, aid from the European Union, including an Electra Tanker 481 water bomber and Airbus BK117 D3 helicopter arrived in Bolivia's central region of Santa Cruz, one of the areas hardest-hit by wildfires ravaging the Andean country.

Scientists say that while most fires are set by humans, recent hot and dry conditions being driven by fossil-fuel driven climate change are helping the fires spread more quickly. South America has been hit by a series of heat waves since last year.

"It's a global challenge in the fight against climate change. We must get together in this fight," said Helene Roos, the French ambassador to Bolivia. Along with the EU, Canada, Brazil and Venezuela have sent support to Bolivia.

Bolivia's fires have been exacerbated by drought and land clearances linked to booming cattle and grain production.

Meanwhile, fires have raged in Argentina, Peru, Paraguay and giant neighbor Brazil, where firefighters doused straw-roofed houses in the Xingu indigenous communities to try to stop them from burning at the end of last week.

"After years of work as firefighters, we've noticed the effects of climate change as it has made our job much more difficult," said state firefighter supervisor Guilherme Camargo.

Megaron Txucarramae, a prominent indigenous leader, said the fires around Brazil and the region sent a warning signal more widely: "We're worried and it's not only us, but the whole world."