U.N. team assesses Amazon fires

Forest fires rage in Brazil

March 31, 1998
Web posted at: 1:59 p.m. EST (1859 GMT)

BRASILIA, Brazil (CNN) -- A U.N. team of disaster experts was traveling Tuesday to Brazil's northern state of Roraima, where fires set by subsistence farmers have swept out of control and scorched thousands of square kilometers (acres) of Amazon jungle.

Brief rain showers on Monday had increased humidity levels and slowed the flames and reduced the smoke in the area near Venezuela.

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Image Gallery:

Firefighters battle the raging fires in Brazil's Amazon jungles

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The experts, as well as government observers, were trying to gauge how far the fires had penetrated the rain forest, which is normally too humid to burn but which has been hit by months of drought.

"There are countries willing to help," said U.N. team leader Carlos Montessori Perrier. "There are military and civilian resources available."

CNN's Ronnie Lovler on fighting the fires
	2.6 MB / 30 sec. / 320x240 1.1 MB / 30 sec. / 160x120 QuickTime movie

There are about 1,500 firefighters -- some of them from Argentina and Venezuela -- and several water-carrying helicopters aiding the efforts.

Satellite images released Monday by the Brazilian government showed a line of fire about 140 miles (220 km) long, pushing into what officials said were transition areas between savannahs and rain forest. About 60,000 square miles (156,000 square kilometers) have been scorched.

The drought -- blamed on the El Niño weather phenomenon and strong winds -- has made the fires the worst on record, officials say.

Brief rain showers Monday helped firefighters control several hot spots

"We have no record of a fire on this scale in the Amazon. This fire marks a watershed for the region and we must reflect upon that," said Fernando Catao, who heads a Brazilian task force set up last week to handle offers of international aid.

The fires have been burning for more than two months, and have destroyed homes in indigenous communities such as those of the stone-age tribe of the Yanomami.

The Yanomami tribe was providing "crucial aid" in the fire-fighting efforts," said fire department spokesman Antonio Olivera in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Related stories:

• Bushfires rage in southeastern Australia - March 23, 1998
• Brazil to send helicopters to battle Amazon fires - March 14, 1998
• Southeast Asian fires quicken orangutans' demise - February 25, 1998
• New Indonesian forest fires raise smog concerns - February 25, 1998
• In the Amazon, deforestation is on the rise - November 24, 1997

Related sites:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

• Governo do Brasil - Government of Brazil
• DisasterRelief.org
  • Fire Season Burning in Several Countries - March 30, 1998
  • Brush Fires Remain a Burning Problem in Asia, South America - March 23, 1998
  • Native Indians Face Fire in Brazil Rainforest - March 18, 1998
• Wildfire Magazine
• Fire History Information
• The International Fire Information Network
• Brazil Environmental Sanitation Agency (CETESB) - in English and Portuguese
• Forests For Life - a World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) campaign to save the forests
• Rainforest Action Network
• Tropical Rainforest Coalition
• The Wilderness Society - organization devoted primarly to public lands protection and management issues
• The Earth's Rainforests - Stevenson Press, Inc.

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

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