'Breathing smoke': Brazil's Pantanal hit by record fires June 27, 2024

Firefighters battle fire in the Pantanal

By AFP - Agence France Presse

'Breathing smoke': Brazil's Pantanal hit by record fires

CORUMBA DE GOIAS: Erica Cristina has been "breathing smoke every day" since a huge fire broke out across the river from the city of Corumbá, the gateway to Brazil's Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland.

The fire, which has filled the bar she owns with soot, is one of hundreds burning in the vast, wildlife-rich Pantanal, which is suffering record fires for this time of year.

"It's chaotic," the 44-year-old told AFP in Corumbá, in the center-west of the country, where last week's fire turned the sky bright red.

Originally from Rio de Janeiro, this long-time resident of the Pantanal region said that the increase in fires was making the situation for residents "worse over the years".

"Many people have lost their homes" in fires since 2020 - the worst year ever recorded for fires in the region - and "the main problems are health, respiratory problems," Cristina said.

In the first half of this year, satellites recorded more than 3,300 fires in the region slightly larger than England, 33% more than in 2020.

Experts say the fires are the result of a severe drought linked to climate change and deliberate fires to expand farmland into forest that is out of control.

The Pantanal, which extends into Bolivia and Paraguay, is home to millions of caimans, parrots, giant otters, and the highest density of jaguars in the world.

The seasonal flooding of plains, swamps, savannas, and forest areas during the rainy season is crucial for the biodiversity-ecosystem.

Environment Minister Marina Silva warned on Monday that the Pantanal was facing "one of the worst situations ever seen".

"We haven't had the usual floods or the interval between El Nino and La Nina," two climatic phenomena that affect rainfall, she said.

A study published on Wednesday by the MapBiomas network said that the Pantanal's wet surface was 61% drier than the historical average last year.

The drought "caused a large amount of organic matter at the point of combustion to cause these fires," said Silva, who will visit the region on Friday.

- 'Lost in flames' - You're breaking new records

The fires are reaching new records even before the peak of the dry season.

"The strong winds, the fire, and the heat usually start in August," but "it hasn't rained in the region for 50 days," Bruno Bellan, a 25-year-old farmer, told AFP.

Bellan has 900 head of cattle on his family's farm in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, where most of the wetlands are located, which was declared a state of emergency because of the fires on Monday.

His property is two kilometers from a large fire that firefighters have had difficulty accessing.

"We're worried that the fire will enter the farm and cause destruction. The cattle are scared and could get lost in the flames," said Bellan.

Retired soldier Naldinei Ivan Ojeda, 53, said he was thinking of leaving his hometown because of the respiratory problems he and his 15-year-old son have been facing.

He points the blame squarely at the people who start the fires, rather than the dry conditions that encourage them.

"There are no accidental fires in the Pantanal. I've never seen a fire come out of nowhere here. Every year it's the same."

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