The 200 military brigades have already traveled to fight fires in the Amazon | Chronic

The Minister of Defense, Oscar Aguad, sent Wednesday to Campo de Mayo to 200 members of the brigade of the armed forces who will leave tomorrow Bolivia to fight fires in the Amazon.

"Each of you will represent Argentina in this disaster caused by climate change", said the minister during the event that took place at the Argentine Army Agrupación Ingenieros 601.

Aguad explained that of the 200 men, 50 have "firefighting certificate" and that the rest "will perform a logistics task" by "as long as necessary".

The contingent of brigades that will leave by land in Bolivia to fight fires in Santa Cruz de la Sierra has manufactured a sample of only part of the equipment that will lead to the neighboring country: tanker trucks each containing 8,000 liters of fuel. fuel; transport with 10,000 liters of water; a telescopic crane; 1 backhoe, two bulldozers and a trailer with a sewage plant.

"They will do the impossible to help the Bolivian brothers"Aguad said and added in statements to the press that "There was a communication between the foreign ministers of Argentina and Bolivia" and at the request of help "In fact, we went".

Lieutenant-Colonel and Chief of the Division of the Support Implementation Unit, Julio Ithurrart, responsible for the operation, said that his experience and his actions to fight different fires "It was still in Argentine territory".

"High temperatures are worrying, the area is very dry and no rain is expected for the next few days"said Ithurrart, who said the contingents would take 20-day shifts.

Some brigadists participated in the operations developed in Salta, Córdoba or San Martín de los Andes.

The brigadist Gerardo VargasFor example, he was in Haiti after the 2010 cholera outbreak and the earthquake that devastated this country and underscored it for him in Bolivia. "a totally different scenario will be presented".

The operation includes 10-member crews including drivers, chainsaws and Red Cross personnel.

Emanuel Roda explained that the "natural landscapes" for them, it is the plain since its action against forest fires or landslides took place in the province of Santa Fe.

The brigade said it received "a screenshot" about the situation in Bolivia and expressed his concern for the "amount of vegetation that exists in the area and high temperatures".

They also emphasized that the main activity is the "Border of Bolivia with Paraguay and Brazil".
The defense portfolio holder estimated that the army would arrive in Bolivia "in four or five days" and reported that "There is currently a quota of jujeño" fight fires in the Santa Cruz department that will be relieved next Tuesday.

"The troops that go to Bolivia are self-sufficient, even in food, we carry tents to sleep and cook."Aguad said and clarified that they will "available" authorities from the neighboring country.

The 25 brigades and firemen of Jujeños are deployed in the Bolivian town of San Rafael de Velasco.

In the Amazon, more than 74,000 fire sources have been recorded since January, according to data from the National Institute of Space Research of Brazil, representing an 83% increase in forest fires between the beginning of the year and the month of August.