Debora dos Santos Avila was angry at firefighters because her five-month-old baby died in 2020. She said he died of smoke inhalation from the worst flames ever seen in Brazil’s Pantanal.
But this year, as new record infernos erupt in the world’s largest tropical wetlands, the grieving mother is on the front lines battling the flames in a region stricken by drought.
“At first I didn’t like firefighters. I hated them because of what happened to my son. I had to blame someone,” she said.
“But then I went to them to understand how they work, and now it’s been two years since I became a volunteer firefighter.”
Dos Santos Avila said her baby died of smoke inhalation, but gave no further details. It was a year with a record number of fires, affecting 30 percent of Brazil’s Pantanal.
“Many children are affected by the smoke. And I want to do whatever I can to alleviate this problem,” said the woman, who works as a cook for an NGO when she is not called out to put out fires.
This year, the fires have gotten out of control before the peak of the dry season.
“This time last year we were doing prevention in schools, we had not yet been mobilized for direct fight” against the flames, Dos Santos Avila said.
In the first half of this year, satellites recorded more than 3,400 fires in the region, 33 percent more than in 2020.
Experts say the fires are the result of severe drought linked to climate change and that deliberate fires – intended to expand agricultural land – are spiraling out of control.
– ‘We are all equal’ –
Dos Santos Avila is the only woman among the 45 volunteer firefighters in Corumba, a city considered the gateway to the Pantanal. She underwent six months of training for the role.
“My colleagues don’t discriminate. When it comes to flames, we’re all equal,” she said.
The Pantanal, which extends into Bolivia and Paraguay, is home to millions of caimans, parrots, giant otters and the highest density of jaguars in the world.
Seasonal flooding of plains, swamps, savannas and forest areas during the rainy season is crucial for the biodiverse ecosystem.
Clad in protective gear, Dos Santos Avila uses a machete to cut through bushes toward the brutal heat of a raging inferno that stretches for seven kilometers (four miles).
As she approaches the flames, she uses a leaf blower to spread the decomposing organic material that serves as kindling for the spreading fire.
Danger is always present. The wind can change the direction of the fire at any moment.
The team gets the fire under control with the help of water bombers. Then it’s time to turn the earth over to ensure that no embers remain, a long and grueling job.
About 100 firefighters from elsewhere in Brazil will arrive on Thursday to lend a hand, said Marcio Yule of fire prevention program Prevfogo.
The state of Mato Grosso do Sul has declared a state of emergency and the federal government has also announced that it will deploy soldiers to help fight the fires.
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