Defense Ministry May Mobilize 300 Forest Firefighters from Santa Cruz

Bolivia's Ministry of Defense is weighing the deployment of 300 forest firefighters from San Ignacio de Velasco in Santa Cruz to bolster efforts against ongoing wildfires in Tarija. Defense Minister Ernesto Justiniano indicated this possibility after conducting an aerial survey of the Quirusillas mountain range in the San Lorenzo municipality, Tarija.

During the survey, conducted alongside Minister of Public Works Mauricio Zamora and other officials, Justiniano identified various "chaqueos", areas cleared for agriculture, that could be contributing to the fires. These findings are crucial for developing targeted actions to strengthen mitigation and containment operations for the forest fires.

The fire in Quirusillas is burning through shrubland and dry grasslands. Efforts to extinguish it are hampered by challenging weather conditions, including winds ranging from 70 km/h to 120 km/h. The Military Unit for Emergency and Ecology (UMEE) reported that 120 members of the Armed Forces and SAR teams are currently engaged in mitigation operations in Quirusillas, Erquiz, and Tucumillas.

In addition to the active firefighting teams, 80 soldiers are on standby, ready to intervene if necessary. The potential mobilization of 300 firefighters from the San Ignacio de Velasco battalion underscores the severity of the situation and the government's commitment to deploying resources to control the blazes.