Helicopters Attack Amazon Fires

A long-awaited air war against giant fires ravaging the northern Amazon was launched Sunday, officials said.

Two Argentine helicopters armed with huge water buckets were at work in the area around Apiau, where the situation is most critical, a Roraima state government spokeswoman said.

Fires set by slash-and-burn farmers and fueled by high winds and dry conditions have burned out of control for two months, sweeping across grasslands and rain forest. The blazes continue to destroy farms, threaten nature reserves and Indian tribes, and blanket much of the state with smoke.

Combating the fires has become an international effort. Fire crews and equipment from Argentina and Venezuela were rushed to the aid of hundreds of Brazilian firefighters, police officers and soldiers.

The fires are likely to burn until the rainy season begins in late April, experts concede.