IPS news reports appear daily in English, German, Finnish, Norwegian, Spanish and Swedish. Although Roraima borders Venezuela and Guyana, the winds blowing from the northeast have so far protected the two neighbouring countries. I didn't see any fires in the savannah areas,'' where there is little fuel for the fires, he reported. The smoke covering the city has become a serious health threat, doubling the number of children admitted to local hospitals with acute respiratory problems. The situation is aggravated by the ''incomplete combustion'' of humid biomass, which releases even more gas and vapors, Imbrozio explained.
Smoke is also a problem in Venezuela.
Venezuela's Environment Minister, Rafael Martinez, said Friday that the fire would not reach his country if the northeasterly winds continued to blow. Joint fire-fighting and Civil Defence units have crossed the border 1,000 kms southeast of Caracas, to help put out a fire in the Brazilian region of Bananal, a mere 21 kms from the Venezuelan town of Santa Elena de Uairen. Martinez said isolated tongues of the Roraima fire had been controlled 30 kms from the Venezuelan border, in Guaramasen and the foothills of the Sierra de Pacaraima. The fires have penetrated an estimated 20 kms into the territory reserved for the roughly 9,000 members of the Yanomami community in Brazil, which has preserved its traditions more than almost any other native American community. The Venezuelan state of Amazonas is home to another 10,000 Yanomamis.