Forest Fires..Texas/Ontario you aren't the only ones.

[SaskatchewanScreamer]

Thousands of forest fires burn in Bolivia


Reuters
September 19, 2011 — Santa Cruz, Bolivia (Reuters) Bolivia's Santa Cruz enveloped in smoke as thousands of fires burns in eastern agricultural heartland.



Smoke enveloped Santa Cruz, Bolivia on Monday (September 19) as slash-and-burn tactics combined with dry conditions to cause thousands of forest fires.

Local farmers often burn crops in September to prepare fields for replanting, but a drought and high winds have pushed controlled burns into forests, touching off over 40,000 fires that are burning millions of acres in Bolivia's agricultural heartland.

Residents of Santa Cruz suffered from the smokey air that has been sitting over the town since fires starting burning earlier in the month.

Pediatrician Balbina Martinez said there had been a spike in respiratory illnesses.

“Out of 100 patients, we usually have 50 or 60 respiratory illnesses, the rest stomach problems. However, right now that has gone up to 80 respiratory cases,” Martinez said.

Santa Cruz, Bolivia's economic motor, sits in eastern Bolivia's Amazon basin which sustains most of the country's crops and livestock.


Servando Quiroz, a local farmer, said many were fleeing their ranches.

“We're afraid another big wind might come like the other day, which is very dangerous. People have taken their cattle away. They are taking them to water because the water has all dried up here. People are escaping on their horses because their homes are in the middle of the this vegetation that burns easily. It's very dangerous,” he said.

In Santa Cruz, local government officials got together with environmental and forest service officials to discuss ways to keep fires down. They vowed to raise fines for uncontrolled burns.

Manlio Roca, an environmental official, urged people refrain from burning.

“The dry conditions and the winds mean this year's fires could be worst than last year. That's why we are telling people it is not burning season, to not burn their fields because they can easily cause the forests to catch fire,” he said.

Officials say this burning season could break the all time high registered in 2004 with some 50,000 fires.

[SaskatchewanScreamer]

Out of curiousity .....

re "“We're afraid another big wind might come like the other day, which is very dangerous. People have taken their cattle away. They are taking them to water because the water has all dried up here. People are escaping on their horses because their homes are in the middle of the this vegetation that burns easily. It's very dangerous,” he said."

"Bolivia's Santa Cruz enveloped in smoke as thousands of fires burns in eastern agricultural heartland."

..... where are crops/animals doing well on our planet (ie which country has normal growing conditions this year)?