Bolivia declares emergency over rising number of forest fires

Interim President of Bolivia Jeanine Áñez visited the eastern region of Chiquitania on Wednesday, where fires have ravaged large areas of dry forests. The Bolivian government has declared a "national emergency" in at least three regions of the country.

The emergency decree will allow the Executive "to work without bureaucratic restrictions; managing all resources" to extinguish the fires, the stateswoman said. According to government information, 19 forests fires continue active affecting different areas of the Santa Cruz region. According to experts, August and September are the months with the most fires in the region. But, in August this year, the number of fires fell by 69% compared to the same period in 2019.