MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Forest fire smoke plumes slow tourist traffic in Uruguay

A forest fire that was preventing tourists from reaching Uruguay's sea resorts, including the upscale vacation spot of Punta del Este has been brought under control, although fire-fighters and the military were still working to extinguish the blaze completely, officials said.

The fire, which began last week, was brought under control with the help of air force hydro-helicopters and heavy machinery provided by the regional government of Canelones, Uruguay's second-largest province. "The fire has nearly been extinguished, but we're working to completely put out the embers to prevent it from reigniting due to the strong winds," fire-fighters' spokesman Carlos Nicola said. Some 50 Uruguayan fire-fighters and military soldiers were working uninterruptedly to put out the blaze, which had burned 60 hectares of forest. The fire started near the Balneario Argentino resort, some 40 kilometres east of Montevideo, and made it difficult for travellers to drive to other resorts because of the smoke. The cause of the fire is being investigated by Fire Department technicians, but authorities said it was presumably started by an area resident. It did not damage any area homes but it raged along both sides of the Interbalnearia, a highway that leads to Uruguay's eastern coast, and drivers' visibility was affected by the large plumes of smoke. That road is heavily travelled at this time of year, the start of the summer holiday season, and according to highway police between 1,500 and 1,800 vehicles per hour are passing through its toll booths. Uruguay is suffering a very sever drought and authorities in recent days have repeatedly reminded people that building fires for cooking or burning garbage is prohibited due to the risk of forest fires.