2010 Bolivia forest fires
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Bolivia forest fires led the country's government to declare a state of emergency
, as wildfire
s spread across the country. More than 25,000 fires are burning across 15000 square kilometres (3,706,577.4 acre). These raging fires have destroyed nearly sixty homes. Bolivia
is unable to combat the fires properly as it does not have enough water bombing aircraft
.
There was a steep jump in fire hot-spots from 17,000 on Sunday August 15 to approximately 25,000 three days later. Some of the blazes were so strong that firefighters were unable to get close enough to contain them. The head of Bolivia's forestry service, Weimar Becerra, described the fires as "a total disaster, it is an environmental disaster. We have six forest fires which have a height of 50 m and are growing, and as a country we do not have the capacity to put them out".
. The fire is largest in the eastern part along the country's border with Brazil
. Smoke from the fires has halted numerous flights and forced many smaller airports to close temporarily. Despite being enveloped in smoke, Bolivia's main international airport in Santa Cruz
has stayed open, while 23 regional airports have been closed down. According to Cliver Rojas from Bolivia's forests/land department, the most affected region was the Amazonian province of Pando
in the north.
, Evo Morales
, said that he requested that his neighboring countries, Brazil and Argentina
, help with the efforts, but, as of August 21, 2010, help had not been received.
caused the plants to dry out, allowing the fires to run rampant.
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
, as wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
s spread across the country. More than 25,000 fires are burning across 15000 square kilometres (3,706,577.4 acre). These raging fires have destroyed nearly sixty homes. Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
is unable to combat the fires properly as it does not have enough water bombing aircraft
Aerial firefighting
Aerial firefighting is the use of aircraft and other aerial resources to combat wildfires. The types of aircraft used include fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. Smokejumpers and rappellers are also classified as aerial firefighters, delivered to the fire by parachute from a variety of fixed-wing...
.
There was a steep jump in fire hot-spots from 17,000 on Sunday August 15 to approximately 25,000 three days later. Some of the blazes were so strong that firefighters were unable to get close enough to contain them. The head of Bolivia's forestry service, Weimar Becerra, described the fires as "a total disaster, it is an environmental disaster. We have six forest fires which have a height of 50 m and are growing, and as a country we do not have the capacity to put them out".
Damage
Currently the worst of the damage has been to the country's section of the AmazonAmazon Rainforest
The Amazon Rainforest , also known in English as Amazonia or the Amazon Jungle, is a moist broadleaf forest that covers most of the Amazon Basin of South America...
. The fire is largest in the eastern part along the country's border with Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Smoke from the fires has halted numerous flights and forced many smaller airports to close temporarily. Despite being enveloped in smoke, Bolivia's main international airport in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the capital of the Santa Cruz department in eastern Bolivia and the largest city in the country...
has stayed open, while 23 regional airports have been closed down. According to Cliver Rojas from Bolivia's forests/land department, the most affected region was the Amazonian province of Pando
José Manuel Pando Province
This article is about the province. For the person, see José Manuel Pando.José Manuel Pando is a province in the La Paz Department, Bolivia. Its capital is Santiago de Machaca.- Subdivision :...
in the north.
Help from neighboring countries
The President of BoliviaPresident of Bolivia
The President of Bolivia is head of state and head of government of Bolivia. According to the current Constitution, the president is elected by popular vote to a five year term, renewable once...
, Evo Morales
Evo Morales
Juan Evo Morales Ayma , popularly known as Evo , is a Bolivian politician and activist, currently serving as the 80th President of Bolivia, a position that he has held since 2006. He is also the leader of both the Movement for Socialism party and the cocalero trade union...
, said that he requested that his neighboring countries, Brazil and Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, help with the efforts, but, as of August 21, 2010, help had not been received.
Cause
Peasants using fire to clear land for planting combined with extreme droughtDrought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
caused the plants to dry out, allowing the fires to run rampant.
See also
- List of wildfires
- Other major wildfires in 2010
- Schultz FireSchultz FireThe Schultz Fire is a wildfire which burned over , including Schultz Peak in Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, Arizona in June 2010. The suspected cause is a campfire left unattended, and the United States Forest Service is offering a $2500 reward for information.The Schultz Fire began at...
, was a wildfire which burned over 15000 acres (60.7 km²), in Arizona, United States during June 2010. - Russian wildfires2010 Russian wildfiresThe 2010 Russian wildfires were several hundred wildfires that broke out across Russia, primarily in the west, starting in late July 2010, due to record temperatures and drought in the region...
, are a series of hundreds of wildfires that broke out across Russia, starting in late July 2010. - California wildfires2010 California wildfiresThe 2010 California wildfires are a series of seasonal wildfires active in the state of California, USA, during the year 2010.-Kern County:*Bull Fire: Burned southeast of Tehachapi, California in July, destroyed eight homes and six outbuildings as of 31 July 2010.*West Fire: burned more than ...
, are a series of seasonal wildfires active in the state of California, USA, during the year 2010. - Quebec wildfiresMay 2010 Quebec wildfiresThe May 2010 Quebec wildfires were a series of wildfires that affected over from late May to June 2010. Over 120 fires broke out in one week, with most near La Tuque, northeast of Montreal...
, were a series of wildfires that affected over 90,000 hectares (220,000 acres) in Quebec, Canada, from late May to June 2010.
- Schultz Fire
- 2010 Northern Hemisphere summer heat wave, is a severe heat wave that is impacting several countries worldwide during May, June, July and August 2010.