Bolivia declares national emergency due to forest fires

English Español Français العربية Русский

RSS Newsletters

Radio TV

LANGUAGE
English Español Français العربية Русский Documentary CCTV+

Radio TV

By continuing to browse our site you agree to our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. You can change your cookie settings through your browser.

I agree

Bolivia declared a national emergency due to raging forest fires, the country's Defense Ministry announced on Saturday.

At a press conference, Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo said the national emergency would enable the country to swiftly coordinate international support.

"This will allow us to have more agile and effective support from friendly countries and from international cooperation," Novillo said.

Bolivia declared a national emergency due to raging forest fires, the country's Defense Ministry announced on Saturday. /CMG

Bolivia has experienced the largest number of wildfires since 2010, with at least three million hectares burned this year, according to Inpe, Brazil's space research agency that monitors fires.

South America is currently in the midst of its peak fire season, which spans August and September. This follows an unusually early fire season that began devastating the country in July, exacerbated by a drought.

Bolivia's firefighting forces are stretched thin, and the government has called for international aid. Indigenous volunteers have attempted to protect land used for growing crops and feeding livestock near the Chiquitano forest, which extends towards Brazil and Paraguay, but some have been forced to evacuate.