As reported by The Bahrain News Agency, Bolivia’s wildfires are on course to surpass the record set in 2010.
Recent satellite data from Brazil’s space research agency Inpe indicated 70,628 fire hot-spots in Bolivia as of September 22, 2024.
This puts the country ahead of the same period in 2010, which saw a total of 83,119 hot-spots by the end of the year.
The wider South American region is also experiencing intense wildfire activity, with multiple countries battling fires.
Over the weekend, international aid arrived in Bolivia to help with the crisis.
Support from the European Union included an Electra Tanker 481 water bomber and an Airbus BK117 D3 helicopter.
The aid was deployed to Santa Cruz, one of the regions hardest hit by the wildfires.
The European Union, along with several other nations, has stepped in to assist Bolivia in its fight against the wildfires.
French Ambassador to Bolivia, Helene Roos, emphasized the need for global cooperation, stating: “It’s a global challenge in the fight against climate change. We must get together in this fight.”
Bolivia has also received aid from Canada, Brazil, and Venezuela.
The help is aimed at controlling the rapidly spreading fires, which have been exacerbated by hot and dry conditions.
These weather patterns are increasingly linked to climate change, according to scientists.
According to researchers, while many of the fires in Bolivia are human-made, conditions created by climate change are causing them to spread faster.
The heat and drought have worsened due to global warming, making fire control efforts more challenging.
Additionally, Bolivia’s booming cattle and grain industries have led to more land clearances, further contributing to the spread of the fires.
The fire hot-spots are not limited to Bolivia, with neighboring countries like Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, and Brazil also affected by wildfires.
Across South America, firefighting teams are working to control fires.
In Brazil, firefighters have been battling blazes in the Xingu indigenous communities, where straw-roofed houses were at risk of burning over the weekend.
State firefighter supervisor Guilherme Camargo noted the increasing difficulty of controlling these fires, stating: “After years of work as firefighters, we’ve noticed the effects of climate change as it has made our job much more difficult.”
Wildfires in Bolivia are set to break the record set in 2010, with satellite data showing 70,628 fire hot-spots by September 22, 2024.
International support, including aircraft from the European Union, has arrived to help combat the fires, particularly in the Santa Cruz region.
Bolivia’s fires, driven by hot and dry conditions linked to climate change, have been worsened by land clearances for cattle and grain production.
Several South American countries, including Argentina and Brazil, are also facing severe wildfires, with experts noting that climate change is increasing the difficulty of containing these blazes.
