Firefighters from Mato Grosso do Sul fight two ongoing forest fires in the state

Mato Grosso do Sul has two active forest fires: in Pantanal, on the border with Mato Grosso, and in the municipality of Naviraí, south of the state, about 360 kilometers from Campo Grande. The information is from CBMMS (Military Fire Department of Mato Grosso do Sul).

The Pantanal region, close to the São Lourenço River, had been under in-person and satellite monitoring since the end of April, when the fire was identified in the neighboring state, in the Pantanal Mato-Grossense National Park.

However, this Tuesday (7) the flames spread to the south side of Mato Grosso due to the local weather conditions, with temperatures above the average for the period and low relative humidity, in addition to winds with significant speed. , contributing to its spread. The teams used motor pumps to fight the fire in the affected area, which continues to be monitored.

In another part of the state, in the city of Corumbá, the CBMMS maintains two teams to monitor the controlled burning at the UFMS (Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul) base, in the area known as Passo do Lontra, in the Nhecolândia Pantanal.

South of Mato Grosso do Sul

In Naviraí, there are outbreaks close to settlements and BR-487, where the ground team continues monitoring and firefighting work. In the cities of Costa Rica and Porto Murtinho, other teams carry out visits to rural properties to guide preventive actions and reinforce the importance of the union of producers and public authorities in combating forest fires.

Climate contribution

The state’s climate situation, with below-average rainfall since the end of 2023, as well as the drought, intensifies the occurrence of forest fires. To act preventively, and reduce the amount of biomass that can serve as fuel for the fire, in April controlled burning was carried out by firefighters in the Várzeas do Rio Ivinhema State Park. The action began on April 11th and lasted throughout the month, extending to an area of ​​150 hectares.

However, on April 27, with the occurrence of a large fire on the BR-487 highway, the military began to combat the fire in the area. On the 29th, the CBMMS Air Operations Group released, with the Air Tractor aircraft, more than 34.1 thousand liters of water.

The fire affected approximately 300 hectares of the region, which is monitored on site and also in the incident command situation room of the Environmental Protection Directorate, located in Campo Grande.

Preparation for the season

According to the State Government, since the beginning of the prevention and preparation phase for this year’s forest fire season, on April 2, 470 actions were carried out between brigade formations, animal rescue, educational actions in schools, firebreaks, maintenance on roads and bridges, visits and technical inspections of farms and local communities.

In the same period, there were seven controlled burnings and two direct combats, among other actions necessary to support, maintain and test equipment, vehicles and military personnel, with more than 10,200 kilometers covered in preventive actions providing guidance to more than 1,000 children and teenagers.

Currently, 37 military firefighters work exclusively to combat forest fires in the State.