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Bolivia Mobilizes Experts from Chile and 3,000 Firefighters to Areas Affected by Wildfires

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• This international team will work in coordination with Bolivian technical personnel to optimize fire suppression efforts.

Bolivia is engaged in a desperate battle against time and flames after declaring a "national emergency" due to wildfires that have devastated over 4 million hectares of forests and grasslands. President Luis Arce has announced the deployment of a massive contingent of more than 3,000 forest firefighters, along with the arrival of four experts from Chile, to combat the fires in the eastern region of Santa Cruz, the area hardest hit by this environmental disaster.

From Cochabamba, a Hercules aircraft transported the firefighters to Santa Cruz in an event attended by the Bolivian leader. These personnel will be distributed across the most affected municipalities to reinforce firefighting operations. Defense Minister Edmundo Novillo reported the arrival of two wildfire analysis and simulation specialists, as well as two Chilean experts in wildfire operations, who will head to the municipality of Concepción to establish the Bolivia-Chile Binational Joint Command.

This international team will work in coordination with Bolivian technical staff to optimize fire suppression tasks. International aid also includes the dispatch of aircraft, equipment, and additional experts to address the emergency. The situation has reduced visibility at Viru Viru International Airport, disrupting air operations in the country's main economic hub.

President Arce has instructed the hiring of water-dropping planes to intensify firefighting efforts, as the flames have not only consumed vast areas of vegetation but also impacted production and tourism in regions like Chiquitania. Smoke from the fires has reached other areas, prompting authorities to mandate virtual classes for children and adolescents to protect them from the dense smoke.

The wildfires, which began in May and have intensified, pose an unprecedented threat to biodiversity and the lives of affected communities. The year 2019 recorded the highest number of burned hectares at 5.3 million, but this year has already seen the destruction of over 3.3 million, highlighting the severity of the current situation.

The Bolivian government and the international community continue working together in an effort to control the fires and mitigate their devastating effects on the environment and the population.