Paraguay capital choked by colossal smog cloud from Argentina wildfires
Smoke blown from fires in drought-striken Argentina shrouds Asunción and surrounding regions in dangerous haze
Laurence Blair in Asunción and Uki Goñi in Buenos Aires
Tue 1 Mar 2022 15.29 EST
A massive, fast-moving cloud of ash hundreds of metres tall and several kilometres wide has swept over southern Paraguay, as storms blew debris from wildfires raging in neighbouring Argentina following two years of severe drought.
The colossal bank of smog enveloped Asunción, Paraguay’s capital, late on Monday, shrouding the city and its suburbs in a thick, grey haze with the aroma of burnt vegetation.
Forecasters warned residents to stay inside to avoid breathing in the smoky miasma.
In the southern district of Ayolas, where fires have been blazing since early January, conditions were so dark that birds went up into the trees to roost, thinking it was night, said Ray Mendoza, a volunteer firefighter.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/01/paraguay-wildfires-ash-cloud