a fire devastated more than half of a natural park of some 2,000 hectares, located not far from the great Brazilian metropolis São Paulo, said the firefighters on Tuesday.
According to the government of the state of Sao Paulo, a hot air balloon triggered the fire in Juquery Park, a nature reserve about 50 km from Sao Paulo.
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Some 1,200 hectares of the nature reserve were destroyed by the fire. © Miguel SCHINCARIOL / AFP
1,200 hectares destroyed
The fire destroyed some 1,200 hectares before the fire was controlled by a hundred firefighters, said their spokesperson in Sao Paulo, Commander Marcos Das Neves Palumbo. Little damage is however to be deplored with regard to the fauna of this park, composed mainly of birds and small mammals, according to this source.
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The fauna of Juquery Park is made up mainly of birds and small mammals. © Miguel SCHINCARIOL / AFP
Sao Paulo, like other Brazilian states in the south and southeast of the country, is going through a period of intense drought. The city of Sao Paulo, which normally experiences winter temperatures at this time of year, recorded a heat spike of 31 degrees, a record that could be broken this week.
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