Bolivia wildfires set to blaze past record as forests burn

24/9/2024 6:51

        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.