Scorching forest fires are ravaging not only Europe, North America and Australia, but also South America.
Banned paper lanterns
In Brazil, more than a hundred firefighters battle flames for days in Franco da Rocha National Park, and wildfires threaten to engulf São Paulo.
Walkeria Zanquini, a spokeswoman for the local fire department, reported that a lantern fell under mysterious circumstances.
The circumstances are being investigated on the suspicion that a paper lamp lit with an open flame may have caused the fire. Six people were arrested but later released. Lodge lanterns have already been banned in Brazil, but many break the rule.
Fires are also spreading rapidly in Paraguay and Bolivia
In Paraguay, the forest has been burning in several places for days. Thousands of hectares of protected wetlands have already been destroyed. In the northeastern part of the country, in the Cerro Cora National Park, the fires were extinguished in 5 days.
Because of the severe drought, the fire is spreading in southern Bolivia so fast that it can reach the Alto province of Paraguay. The fires are also decimating the eastern part of Bolivia, and many nature reserves are endangered. According to local authorities, 200 thousand hectares have already been burned.
