A forest fire has been raging in the Serra do Amolar, a World Natural Heritage region in the Pantanal, since the early afternoon of last Saturday (27). To date, more than 1,500 hectares have been burned and more than 10 outbreaks have been recorded.
The Mato Grosso do Sul Military Fire Department reported that a garrison is on site.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Tatiane, who is the Fire Department's director of environmental protection, the combat area is difficult to access. The team responsible for going up the Paraguay River had approximately 5 hours to travel to Serra do Amolar.
A characteristic of the region is the peat soil where the fire ends up underground and it is often necessary to return to these locations to fight again.
“We control the fire, but as it burns slowly underground, when the temperature increases, which is characteristic of the days we have spent here in MS, and the relative humidity of the air decreases, this fire returns”, said the Lieutenant Colonel.
In addition to the difficulty in relation to the soil, another characteristic is the geographic nature of the mountains. “There are several hours of walking by our garrisons with equipment to progress a few kilometers”, added soldier Tatiane.
This fire was already being monitored by the Fire Department's Environmental Protection Directorate and firefighters were called as it progressed. The corporation operates year-round in the territory and during the dry season these numbers increase dramatically, according to the authority.
The Instituto do Homem Pantaneiro (IHP), which directly manages part of the territory, reported that a small rural owner in the region may have started the fire in an attempt to clear the soil that was in the access to the property.
The man was informed about the start of the flames, after the case was confirmed at the monitoring center of the Corumbá Institute, in the western region of Mato Grosso do Sul. The Military Environmental Police was also informed about the record of the start of the fire to act in inspection.
“The field teams indicated that as of 1 pm today (31st) more pockets of smoke began to appear,” said Rodolfo César, from the Instituto Homem Pantaneiro advisory.
The Navy is also supporting with a helicopter to take a team of brigade members from the Alto Pantanal Brigade ensuring protection of communication systems”, he added.
This Monday (29) the fire gained greater proportions and in three days more than a thousand hectares had already been affected by the fire, stated the Institute. The fight is being carried out by the Alto Pantanal Brigade, which is maintained by the IHP.
The president of the Instituto Homem Pantaneiro (IHP), Ângelo Rabelo, lamented the situation and said that he is mobilizing reinforcements for action. “We are mobilizing the Alto Pantanal Brigade with reinforcements of 14 men. […] More brigades from SOS Pantanal are also going up today and we are asking for air reinforcement support, as the conditions are very different.”
In addition to the team of permanent brigade members, six others, who have experience with Prevfogo/Ibama, started working from this Tuesday (30).
Source: CNN Brasil
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