As fires rage from Brazil to Bolivia, South America sets a record for most blazes in a year

"We never had winter," said Karla Longo, an air quality researcher at Inpe, of the weather in Sao Paulo in recent months. "It's absurd."

Hundreds of people marched in Bolivia's highland, political capital La Paz to demand action against the fires, holding banners and placards saying "Bolivia in flames" and "For cleaner air stop burning."

Scientists say that while most fires are set by humans, the recent hot and dry conditions being driven by climate change are helping the fires spread more quickly.

A Reuters photographer traveling in the heart of Brazil's Amazon this week witnessed massive fires burning in vegetation along roadways, blackening the landscape and leaving trees like burned matchsticks.

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