The ongoing drought in South America has led to wildfires in wetlands that are typically wet enough to avoid them. Firefighters now have them largely under control in northern Argentina, but with climate change, and the cattle industry, wildfires are increasingly expected to be a threat to nature and wildlife in the region.
As forest fires become more common — in California, in particular — it has been easy to point to climate change and severe drought conditions as the main reasons. Researchers, though, say that the human element may play just as an important role to the troubling trend.
Hundreds of firefighters from all over the country battled the Rock Mountain Fire in northern Georgia this autumn. And southern hospitality helped them win the battle against the blaze: a local Conservative Jewish camp opened its doors to these crews.