Brazilian firefighters battle national park wildfire that is enveloping Brasilia in smoke

Associated Press

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Firefighters have battled flames spreading through a national park in Brazil in the latest wildfire in the country which is experiencing an historic drought. More than 90 firefighters on Monday were trying to extinguish blazes that have already burned through 700 hectares or 1,700 acres of the conservation area. Two aircraft from the Federal District’s military firefighting unit and another two from the nearby Chapada dos Veadeiros national park are being mobilized. The head of the government agency that manages the park told newspaper Folha de S.Paulo that the fire was human-caused and appears to have started near the edge of a farm. Smoke from the fire smothered Brazilian capital Brasilia. Columns of black smoke were visible from several points in the city.