Wildfires rage through southeast Brazil

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Wildfires rage through southeast Brazil

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Firemen struggle to put out wildfires in southeast Brazil following a prolonged dry spell.

28 September,2011 07:21 am

Wildfires continued to tear through a state park in southeast Brazil on Tuesday charring miles of parched land and threatening homes of nearby residents.More than 130 firemen have been struggling to tame down the blaze for the fifth consecutive day in the Serra do Rola Moca natural reserve.The fire began last Friday and has since burned nearly 80 percent of vegetation in the park located in Minas Gerais state.Dry lands and high winds gusting up to 50 kilometers an hour have helped the blazes to spread quickly in the 9,700-acre park that straddles four cities, including the states capital Belo Horizonte.The fires have also burned telephone wires and pipes, cutting water supply in seven neighborhoods.Firefighters are working around the clock and using helicopters to control the raging fires that have neared residential areas, forcing people to evacuate their homes.Local resident Joao Francisco said the regions population was suffering. I have been burning inside for the past three days due to this situation, he said.The Serra do Rola Moca state park is also home to endangered species like the brown jaguar, the maned wolf and the dwarf leopard.Authorities said this was the largest wildfire in the region since 2003.According to the weather agency of Minas Gerais Energy Company, it hasnt rained in Belo Horizonte for the past 108 days.