3 suspects arrested for starting fires in Argentina Parana Delta

By Bala Chambers

LONDON (AA) - Authorities in Argentina detained three suspects Wednesday who are believed to have deliberately started fires that have struck the Parana Delta, South America's second largest river system and an important biodiverse waterway.

Agents from the Argentine Naval Prefecture (PNA) and the country’s Security Ministry protecting rivers and maritime territory, made the arrests in the town of Ramall following a call from a resident who alleged the individuals started the blazes on the Tigre stream on the Lechiguanas islands, located in Entre Ríos Province.

Authorities said the three are natives of San Pedro, located in Buenos Aires province, and they are accused of burning grassland around their ranch and not being able to contain the fire as it spread, according to the Telam news agency.

Officials have seized items they said could have been used to start the fires as agents from the PNA continue to tackle the blazes.

Last week, authorities detained three others accused of intentionally starting fires in the area.

President Alberto Fernandez "ordered" the deployment of the armed forces last weekend to combat the fires that have been ravaging the Parana Delta.

Fernandez said Argentina cannot "remain passive in the face of disqualifying actions that generate ecological disasters."

Often in areas around the delta, the land is cleared by ranchers which leads to fires.

"We cannot allow fires to continue in the Delta that affects the environment and the health of millions of Argentines," Fernandez wrote on Twitter.

He said authorities are using two helicopters and 1,600 firefighters alongside a range of other technical support to combat the fires.

A cloud of pungent smoke reached Greater Buenos Aires, emerging from the Parana Delta in mid-August.

More than 10,000 hectares have been hit by fires in the last month.

​​​​​​​Water levels in the Parana River system have shrunk to their lowest since 1944 because of a severe drought and little rain upstream in Brazil.