“Burned vegetation has been spotted in Ixiamas, where the necessary countermeasures are being taken,” said the Deputy Minister of Defense in an interview with the state channel Bolivia Tv.

According to the authority, the property and the owner who violated the environmental ban were identified, after which the Authority for the Supervision and Social Control of Forests and Land (ABT) launched an operation leading to investigation.

Calvimontes insisted not to “let our guard down” in the face of the risks posed by the existing dry vegetation, since any fire could get out of control in the area.

On the other hand, the Joint Command for Reaction to Adverse Emergencies (C-CREA) of the Armed Forces met with local authorities and the Mayor’s Office, and agreed to carry out preventive patrols.

Such controls are intended to avoid devastating fires, similar to those that hit the area a few weeks ago, mainly in the departments of Beni, Pando and Santa Cruz.

On October 21, Calvimontes assured that the flames that hit Bolivia for months were under control.

He then maintained that “in general terms (…) the fires in the territory have been completely controlled (…)”.

Calvimontes explained that the Command Forces have been fighting forest fires for 140 days, since June, when the first infernos were detected.

During this period, the 6,671 firefighters mobilized put out 79 fires.

He stressed that air support was essential in fulfilling the task, especially in Santa Cruz, the department most affected by the flames.

Likewise, the fight against the fire included nine cloud stimulations, consisting of strategically firing silver iodide from airplanes to generate rainfall.

Last October all these efforts led to a better situation, unlike September, when a national disaster devastation caused by fires in an area of almost 10 million hectares triggered a state of national disaster.

ied/rc/jpm