Wildfires rage in Bolivia, at least 1 million hectares burnt

Firefighters combated wildfires raging through Bolivia's region on August 25 that have engulfed rural villages and doubled in size since August 22. Bolivian President Evo Morales said he was now open to international aid to fight the blazes that have burned across huge swaths of hilly tropical forest and savannah near Bolivia's border with Paraguay and Brazil.

At least 1 million hectares, or approximately 3,800 square miles, have been impacted by the fires, officials said. Bolivia late last week contracted a Boeing 747 "Supertanker" from the United States to help with the fire-fighting, and has mobilized more than 2,000 firefighters, as well as small aircraft and helicopters. Thousands of wildfires are also decimating the neighboring Brazilian Amazon, the world's largest rainforest. The blazes have nearly doubled this year compared with the same period in 2018, prompting global outrage.