A plane lands in the capital of Bolivia's Santa Cruz department through dense fog. Everything is white behind the wing of the plane, and the sun is barely visible
ROBORE (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 27th August, 2019) A plane lands in the capital of Bolivia's Santa Cruz department through dense fog. Everything is white behind the wing of the plane, and the sun is barely visible.However, it is not fog that has enveloped the area but rather smoke from fires that are raging 300 miles away in Bolivia's Chiquitania region.
The fires have already destroyed more than 700,000 hectares (1.7 million acres) of forest and farmland throughout Bolivia. Seven airplanes and helicopters, and thousands of troops, firefighters and volunteers have been mobilized to extinguish them.
"We have not seen the blue sky in several weeks. It started to rain once, and it left black spots on the concrete. It is all because of the fire," Miguel, a resident of Santa Cruz, told Sputnik.
Fires like this have not happened for a long time. The closer to the fires you get, the more smoke you smell. It almost feels as though you are sitting right next to the flames.
"Yes, there was a very strong one [fire], but about 10 years ago. I cannot remember any since then," Paola, an employee of a small hotel, who has spent her whole life in Chiquitania, said.
Maria, a resident of a small town called Robore, where the emergency headquarters of the Bolivian government is located, noted that it was really hard to live in this smoke.
"I have a headache all the time, it is very difficult to fall asleep, and it is hard for children. We have not had rains for two months now, and we are waiting for them so much," Maria said.
According to the country's Defense Ministry, more than 500 people have been affected by the fires, with most of them complaining about the negative effects of smoke.
"Thank God we do not have any victims directly from the fire, that is, with burns. There are no fatalities, only people complaining of labored breathing and eye irritation," the municipal area administration director, Carlos Ragon, told Sputnik.
Health aside, many people have suffered other kinda of losses.
Margarita, a 69-year-old mother, found out from her children during a phone call that their house had burnt down.
Margarita said that she had lived in that house with her husband and three children, and that now all of them were forced to take shelter in one room their neighbor provided them with as they waited for help from the state.
Nothing could be saved, she continued.
"My bed, my mattress, my kitchen � everything is destroyed," Margarita added, showing charred chairs, the remains of a tin water barrel and something that was once a roof.
Senor Cecilio, a man of advanced years, lost his orchards, managing to save only 1 hectare out of 14.
"I protected my trees as I could, I tried to stop the fire, but I had so little water, and the fire came so unexpectedly," the farmer recalled.
He walks around his burned plantation where oranges, lemons, and limes used to grow, picks up blackened fruits from the ground and looks at them with sadness.
"I am not 20 years old, how can I revive everything? After all, you have to take care of some trees for seven years before they bear fruit. My hope burned down," Cecilio concluded.
It has not been easy for firefighters, their chief, Hernan Lose, who coordinates work in Chiquitania, said.
"Firefighters work until 10 p.m. or midnight [14:00-16:00 GMT]. They are very tired. There are no injured among them, but many are suffering from dehydration, heat, their throats hurt because of smoke, they inhale a lot of smoke," Lose noted.
According to the fire chief, his subordinates have already saved Las Taperas municipality from the fires, and people from different regions of the country are fighting fires in Robore.
"Step by step, we begin to control the fires, but it is not easy. There are not enough professional firefighters. Yes, there are volunteers, there are soldiers who help but they do not have all the necessary equipment and methods to deal with forest fires," the man continued, adding that they sometimes put out a fire in the same territory more than once.
Asked about the time line for completely containing the fire, Lose equivocated.
"We fight with fire face to face every day, we are really hoping for the rain, it could be crucial for putting out fires in Robore," he said.
A few drops of rain fell in the morning and afternoon near the city, but not long after did the 35-degree (95 degrees Fahrenheit) retake control.
