Venezuelan firefighters have rescued 100 species of wildlife during fires in Bolivia

• Recently a new group of firefighting officials from the country traveled to relieve the group that has been in the Andean country since September

The group of Venezuelan firefighters in Bolivia, who traveled on September 12 to help fight forest fires, rescued 100 species of wildlife during support efforts to put out the fire.

The Minister of Ecosocialism, Josué Lorca, noted on October 6 that after the rescue the animals were taken to a shelter site, without specifying the species that were saved from the fire.

In addition, Lorca added that Venezuelan firefighters participated in combating six forest fire events that affected 48 thousand hectares of the Bolivian Amazon.

In the department of Santa Cruz, the most affected region in Bolivia, more than seven million hectares have been devastated by fire so far this year.

Some experts pointed out the need to reinforce the task of fighting fires by providing the residents of the affected communities with the necessary equipment for their personal care.

Venezuelan relief firefighters

Lorca also reported that, on October 5, a new group of 54 Venezuelan firefighters traveled to Bolivia to relieve the 60 officials who were in the Andean country for 25 days.

The director of Civil Protection, Juan Carlos Oti Paituvi, previously assured that the new firefighting group is trained and equipped to help combat the recurring forest fires in Bolivia during this time of year.

Bolivia has received support from other countries such as Spain, Brazil, Chile, France and Canada, which in addition to firefighters, have sent experts, aircraft and equipment to fight the fire.

Bolivian authorities have also attributed some outbreaks to controlled burning of lands practiced for planting or grazing. Furthermore, another factor that aggravates forest fires is the persistent drought that several of the forested areas are experiencing.

“National disaster” due to fires

The Bolivian government declared a “national disaster” on September 30 due to the magnitude of the forest fires that have left millions of hectares devastated in the Amazon and Chiquitania.

Bolivian President Luis Arce explained that the decision was made after a meeting with several authorities in Santa Cruz, the region most affected by the fires.

Firefighters fighting the fire in Bolivia. Photo: EFE/ SOS Wildfire

With this declaration, the country opens itself to receiving more international support to contain the environmental crisis, the worst recorded in its territory since 2019.

At the beginning of that month, the government had already declared a “national emergency” and established an indefinite environmental pause to prevent its spread.

With information from EFE.

Related news