Evo Morales Hires Supertank Aircraft to Fight Fires in Bolivia’s Amazon Region

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Bolivian President Evo Morales has authorized the hiring of a Boeing 747 aircraft named Supertanker to fight fires in Bolivia‘s Amazon rainforest region. The aircraft, which can carry up to 75,000 liters, is expected to start work on Thursday, August 22nd.

According to the Bolivian government, the aircraft will concentrate on fighting fires in the area called Chiquitanía, a nature reserve located in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. The fires in the region were said to have been generated by the fires started in Brazil.

Morales further announced the setting up of an Environmental Emergency Cabinet “to deal with the fires in Chiquitanía and the east.” The president commissioned the ministers of environment and water, rural development, land and health, the government and the presidency to lead the cabinet’s actions.

According to RFI news agency, the fire has already affected at least ten villages in the municipality of Roboré, near the border with Brazil. Although no victims have yet been found, the fire has already destroyed an area equal to 500,000 soccer fields.

According to the agency, the region’s inhabitants also mobilized to fight the fires. Small aircraft, used for agricultural work, have already flown over the area to pour water over the flames, while people in urban centers have mobilized to send supplies to affected areas.

Fires in the Amazon

NASA (U.S. Space Agency) released on Wednesday night, August 21st, satellite images showing a cloud of smoke over the states of Amazonas, Mato Grosso, and Rondônia. In turn, the INPE (National Institute for Space Research) reported an 83 percent increase in fires since the beginning of 2019, compared to the same period last year.

Brazil is under intense international pressure due to forest fires in the Amazon. This is fire season in the region, but the data show that they are occurring in higher numbers than expected.

With no evidence, president Jair Bolsonaro claimed that NGOs could be behind the fires in the region.