South America Breaks Record for Fires, Reports Reuters

By Jake Spring and Stefanie Eschenbacher

SAO PAULO – South America is facing a severe crisis with wildfires raging from Brazil’s Amazon rainforest through the continent’s largest wetlands and onto the dry forests of Bolivia. This year has already set a new record for the number of fires, with data collected up to September 11 showing 346,112 fire hotspots across all 13 South American countries, surpassing the previous record of 345,322 hotspots logged in 2007.

Recent satellite data from Brazil’s space research agency indicates that the current situation is alarming. A photographer exploring Brazil’s Amazon witnessed extensive fires consuming vegetation along roadways, turning the landscape into a charred wasteland marked by trees that resemble burned matchsticks.

The smoke from these fires has significantly reduced air quality in cities such as Sao Paulo, casting a haze visible from space that stretches diagonally across the continent from Colombia in the northwest to Uruguay in the southeast.

In response to the crisis, Brazil and Bolivia have mobilized thousands of firefighters to gain control over the situations, but they are largely unable to combat the extreme weather conditions that are exacerbating the blazes. Scientists warn that while human activities are the primary cause of these fires, the recent rise in temperatures and arid conditions linked to climate change are aiding their rapid spread. South America has been experiencing a spate of heatwaves since last year.

"We never had winter," remarked Karla Longo, an air quality researcher, referring to the unusual weather patterns in Sao Paulo. Despite being winter in the Southern Hemisphere, temperatures in the city have remained above 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) for several days.

In Bolivia, hundreds of citizens marched in the political capital of La Paz, holding placards demanding action against the fires with messages like "Bolivia in flames" and "For cleaner air, stop burning." Fernanda Negron, an animal rights activist among the protesters, emphasized the dire situation, stating, "Please realize what is really happening in the country, we have lost millions of hectares. Millions of animals have been burned to death."

The drought in Brazil, described as the worst on record, has contributed to the fires’ intensity, according to the national disaster monitoring agency. Ana Paula Cunha, a drought researcher, noted, "The 2023-2024 drought is the most intense and long-lasting in recent history, at least since 1950."

Currently, Brazil and Bolivia are experiencing the highest number of fires this month, followed by Peru, Argentina, and Paraguay. Earlier intense fires in Venezuela, Guyana, and Colombia have calmed but played a role in this year’s record numbers.

Longo explained that fires resulting from deforestation in the Amazon generate particularly dense smoke due to the significant amount of vegetation burning. "The sensation you get flying next to one of these plumes is like that of an atomic mushroom cloud," she added.

At various times, approximately 9 million square kilometers (3.5 million square miles) of South America have been engulfed in smoke, affecting more than half of the continent. Recently, Sao Paulo recorded the worst air quality globally, surpassing notoriously polluted areas in China and India.

The health implications are concerning, with the exposure to smoke expected to increase hospital visits for respiratory issues and potentially lead to thousands of premature deaths. A study published in 2023 highlighted that inhaling wildfire smoke contributes to an average of 12,000 early deaths annually in South America.

September typically sees a spike in fire activity across the continent. While rain is anticipated next week in Brazil’s southeastern region, where Sao Paulo is located, drought conditions are predicted to persist through October in the northern Amazon region and in the central-west agricultural areas of Brazil.