Debora dos Santos Avila used to resent firefighters for the death of her five-month-old baby in 2020, when she says he succumbed to smoke inhalation from the worst-ever blazes in the Brazilian Pantanal.
But this year, as the world’s largest tropical wetlands experience new record levels of infernos, the grieving mother is on the front lines battling the flames in a drought-stricken area.
“At first I didn’t like firefighters. I resented them for what happened to my son. I needed to blame someone,” she said.
“But then I went to see 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, without elaborating, during a record year of fires that affected 30 percent of Brazil’s Pantanal.
“Many children suffer from smoking. And I want to do everything I can to alleviate this problem,” said the woman, who works as a cook at an NGO when she is not called to fight fires.
This year, fires spread out of control even before the peak of the dry season.
“At this time last year, we were doing prevention in schools, we were not yet mobilized to directly combat” the flames, said Dos Santos Ávila.
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 a severe drought linked to climate change and deliberate fires – intended to expand farmland – burning out of control.
– ‘We’re all the same’ –
Dos Santos Ávila is the only woman among 45 volunteer firefighters in Corumbá, a city considered the gateway to the Pantanal. She underwent six months of training for the role.
“My colleagues don’t make distinctions. In front of the flames, we are all equal,” she said.
The Pantanal, which extends into Bolivia and Paraguay, is home to millions of alligators, parrots, otters and the highest density of jaguars in the world.
Seasonal flooding in plains, swamps, savannas and forest areas during the rainy season is crucial to the biodiverse ecosystem.
Covered in protective gear, Dos Santos Ávila uses a machete to cut through the brush toward the merciless heat of a raging inferno that stretches seven kilometers (four miles).
As she approaches the flames, she uses a leaf blower to disperse the decaying organic matter that serves as fuel for the spreading fire.
The danger is always present. The wind can change the direction of the fire at any time.
With the help of water bomber planes, the team controls the fire. Then it’s time to turn over the earth to ensure there are no embers left, a long and tiring job.
On Thursday, around a hundred firefighters from other parts of Brazil are expected to arrive to help, according to Marcio Yule, from the Prevfogo fire prevention program.
The state of Mato Grosso do Sul declared a state of emergency and the federal government also announced that it will send soldiers to help fight the fires.
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