UPDATE 4/21 03:45 : SMN is predicting that the winds will shift back to the south this morning, providing another smoky day in Capital. Slight clearing may occur by mid-afternoon. Residents are again warned to take precautions against the smoke.

Over 300 people have filed a $15 million lawsuit against farm owners, as well as the provincial and national governments for the damage caused by the fires and the smoke.

UPDATE 4/20 10:07 : It appears meteorologists are about as accurate here as back in the U.S. Changing wind patterns have given Buenos Aires residents a relief from the smoke and a breath of fresh air. The winds are expected to turn back and take a southernly direction by this afternoon, returning the smoke to the city.

The smoke that has blanketed Buenos Aires for the past week will continue through at least Wednesday, Servicio Meteorologico Nacional warned today. On Wednesday the wind patterns will provide a respite from the smoke choking the city, however the relief will be minor and short lived.

For city residents the negative health affects of living downwind from a 173,000-acre grass fire are starting to take hold. Over 400 people have been admitted to hospitals for smoke related ailments, prompting the Ministry of Health to declare a yellow alert for hospitals, ophthalmologists and pediatricians. Authorities in La Plata have recommended people not leave their homes unless absolutely necessary.

Smoke clogs the streets and obscures the view of the Obelisco in Buenos Aires

Carbon monoxide levels have been steadily rising in Buenos Aires, with levels as high as 17 ppm detected. Symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure include headaches, dizziness and nausea, which worsen with long-term contact. Prolonged exposure to fresh air is required for carbon monoxide to clear from the bloodstream, something that is currently in short supply in the Buenos Aires area.

Adding to the misery of residents in Capital Federal, transportation cuts are still in effect. Highways Ruta 9, 12 and 14 are closed, all departures from Retiro bus station are cancelled and Aeroparque Jorge Newberry has been closed because due to poor visibility. All flights have been diverted to Ezeiza, however visibility problems there have led to numerous cancellations and delays. Supte lines A, B and D are closed and C is running with lengthy delays.

Officials confirmed in a press conference today, that new fires have been detected along Ruta 12. Police officials said they spotted “two people on horseback setting fires, and in another area a tractor with a trailer on fire – which is the typical method employed for burning pastures.”

The fight against the fires in the Parana Delta is proving to be strikingly ineffective. Over 297 separate fires are currently burning and there are only 300 firefighters in the area to combat the blazes. Another 300 firefighters are being held in reserve and will rotate in to relieve those on the front lines. With such a glaring lack of manpower, the government is admitting that it cannot stop the blazes. The Secretary of the Environment, Ramina Picolotti, conceded that “humans can not put [the fires] out, we can only help nature.”

Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo confirmed today that two people are in custody in connection with starting the fires and a third is being searched for. Additionally the government has leveled charges against 200 farm owners for their liability in starting the fires.

“This is not a forest fire, it’s the burning of grasslands for greed and personal gain which has caused enormous risk to the population and enormous expense to the state. It’s unacceptable,” Picolotti stated in a press conference today. However the government has taken care to say their charges against the 200 farm owners have nothing to do with the ongoing negations to resolve the campo crisis.

The agricultural sector has responded angrily to the charges. Vice President of the Rural Society, Hugo Biolcati argued that "it is extremely unfair and unwise to hold an entire sector responsible, such as farmers, for the actions of individuals." Today in an escalation of rhetoric, the farmers unions threatened to restart the strikes that crippled Argentina’s highway system and blocked food delivery to Buenos Aires for three weeks.

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