Bolivia wildfires burn record area, scorching homes and farms

A person kneels as he watches his home being consumed by fire in Riberalta, Beni, Bolivia, October 3, 2024 in this screengrab taken from a handout video. Riberalta Government Handout/Handout via REUTERS

LA PAZ (Reuters) - Wildfires in Bolivia have burned through more than 10 million hectares (24.7 million acres) this year, mostly in the country's tropical east, smashing records for its worst-ever fire season and scorching an area the size of Iceland or Cuba.

The new figures released on Monday by non-governmental organization Tierra Foundation represent the equivalent of nearly 19 million American football fields. Fires in recent months have propelled Bolivia past devastating fire years in 2010 and 2019.