Forest Fires in Bolivia

Forest fires in Bolivia can have a low humanitarian impact based on the burned area, the affected population and their vulnerability.
Forest fire in Bolivia start 18 July. 
Duration: 8 days.
People affected 2 in the burned area.
Burned area 14480 ha.

Spreading across 130 hectares (321 acres) near Concepción, Bolivia, an active wildfire first detected on July 22, has prompted orbital monitoring as satellites register a moderate heat signature from the burning front. 

Over the past 48 hours, orbital sensors have identified 19 heat detections clustering near the area, highlighting the ongoing spread of the incident.

The forest fires affecting the Bolivian department of Tarija, in the south of the country, continue to spread for the fifth consecutive day and have reached communities near the capital.

One of the most critical fronts is in the community of Rincón de la Victoria, about 12 kilometers from the city, where the flames descended towards populated areas, while other hotspots remain active in communities such as Quirusillas, Erquiz Ceibal, Obrajes, Cadillar and La Victoria.

Winds of up to 70 km/h, mountainous terrain and drought have driven multiple fire hotspots. 

In Santa Cruz, the two fire hotspots are concentrated near the border with Brazil, and more than 21 thousand hectares are estimated to be affected. 

In Cochabamba, a fire was reactivated in the community of Liriuni, 28 kilometers from the city, and more than 100 hectares of vegetation have been consumed. 

Over the last ten years, forest fires have become a recurring phenomenon in Bolivia during the dry season, especially between July and October, when high temperatures, low humidity and winds favor rapid fire spread. Various academic and environmental organization studies agree that most hotspots do not originate naturally, but from human activities.

From May 11 to May 17, 2026, a forest fire burned 5,149 hectares in the Department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. There were no reported casualties or injuries to people within the directly burned area during this specific six-day event.

Much to environmentalists' chagrin, Bolivia's government recently authorized farmers to burn 20 hectares (almost 50 acres) instead of the usual five hectares (12 acres), which is believed to have contributed to thousands of wildfires.

In 2024, Bolivia experienced its worst wildfire season on record, with over 10,000 square kilometers of forest burned, double the previous high. The surge in fire activity is attributed to worsening drought conditions and the rapid expansion of agriculture. 
However, the newly established Indigenous Territory of Charagua Iyambae successfully implemented early warning systems and land-use policies that helped protect its forests, particularly the Ñembi Guasu protected area, which largely avoided the flames. Local Guaraní park rangers utilized satellite monitoring to quickly report fire risks, enabling prompt action to prevent small ignitions from spreading. 
Despite these efforts, authorities declared a disaster in early September when flames encroached on the protected area, highlighting the ongoing threat of wildfires. 

Tens of thousands of Bolivian pupils had their classes suspended as schools closed their doors due to air pollution caused by massive forest fires, the education minister said.

The Santa Cruz region, Bolivia's economic engine and most populous region has been most affected.

It is a common practice to set fires to free up forest land for farming. According to the Environment Ministry, some two million hectares (4.9 million acres) of forest and grassland have been burned this year. The skies over the capital La Paz and the second city of El Alto, which hosts the international airport, were blackened by smoke.

In 2023, more than 42,100 wildfire outbreaks were recorded in Bolivia. This was the highest figure registered since 2019 when the South American country reached a record high with a total of 44,273 wildfires recorded.

Tucabaca Valley Municipal Wildlife Reserve was again affected by the fire. In September, fires burned across some 130 square kilometers (50 square miles)—or 5%—of Tucabaca’s territory, according to satellite data from NASA. The data show the fires began in early September and were concentrated in two extensive burns in the southern part of the reserve. Otuquis National Park, also in the Chiquitania region, was also hit by fire in 2022.

Tucabaca Valley Municipal Wildlife Reserve, comprising around 2,644 square kilometers (1,021 square miles) of semi-arid forest and scrubland in southern Bolivia’s Chiquitania region, was severely damaged by fire in 2021. Global Forest Watch data show the reserve lost around 3,330 hectares (33.3 square kilometers or around 13 square miles) of forest to fire in 2021 alone.

Small, controlled fires were routinely used to maintain pastures, burn off spent crops, clear brush and forest, fertilize the soil, and burn trash. But the fires in 2020— like those in 2019 —were anything but routine. They prompted the government to declare a state of emergency. Rather than remaining small and burning for short periods, fires in 2020 escaped and burned unchecked in several ecosystems, including the Pantanal wetlands in the eastern part of the country, the dry Chiquitano forest in the southeast, and Beni savanna and Amazon rainforest areas in the north.

Bolivia's forest fires led the country's government to declare an emergency as wildfires spread across the country. Over 25,000 fires are burning across 15,000 square kilometers (3,700,000 acres).