• News
•   October 22, 2011   

• Wildfires Sparked by Drought Consume Vital Habitat in Brazil

• In a year that has been marked by devastating flooding, scarce rain in other parts of the country have caused fires to ignite more easily, including one that has devastated the Rola Moca nature reserve in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
  Firefighters say that the blaze, which began at the end of September, is the worst in the 17-year history of the 4,000 hectare sanctuary. Ninety percent of the reserve has been consumed, with animals such as rabbits, monkeys and endangered jaguars and wolves having fled.
  The fire also forced humans to evacuate as it approached residential areas in the Minas Gerais capital, Belo Horizonte. In addition, large areas of Brasilia National Park were destroyed by wildfires that also began in September, while the nation's capital, Brasilia, endured 107 days of consecutive drought.
  http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2011/09/26/fire-destroys-80-pct-nature-reserve-in-brazil/
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRkL8i7SA-M
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8ZMhrx4hq8