The operation in Beni and Santa Cruz includes the participation of over 3,600 firefighters from the Armed Forces of the Joint Command for Reaction to Adverse Events, in addition to those from the departmental governments, mayors and volunteers.

“We have fires and active fires in three departments, in Santa Cruz, La Paz and Beni; however, it is important to state there was a considerable reduction in forest fires (…)” said the Vice Minister of Civil Defense, Juan Carlos Calvimontes, who highlighted the intense work carried out by firefighters, as well as the stimulation of clouds with silver iodide cartridges to generate artificial rain.

“The fires have been considerably reduced, as a result of this, the air quality has improved considerably in several departments, especially in the department of Santa Cruz (…)”, reiterated Calvimontes, who described to the press that this led to in-person classes resuming as of this Monday.

The vice minister also explained that in Beni there is still rainfall, and in Pando there are no longer any active fires or flames. However, he clarified that the departments of Pando, La Paz, Beni and Cochabamba remain “covered by smoke” coming, fundamentally, from the Brazilian Amazon and part of Peru.

The Minister of Defense, Edmundo Novillo, reported for his part that the national government instructed conducting “rigorous” patrols in the Chiquitania to fight the fires, and warned that in the event of discovering tourists and suspicious strangers who carry some type of fuel or are discovered causing fire, they will be immediately arrested.

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