UPDATE 4/18 17:42 The Servicio Meteorológico Nacional (SMN) is stating that winds from the north will continue through next Tuesday, bringing a steady stream of smoke into Buenos Aires. SMN additionally warns that the smoke will be especially bad this evening, resulting in "zero visibility in the city."

UPDATE 4/18 17:26 The Government has filed formal charges against 200 farm owners for the Parana Delta wildfire. In an attempt to distance the charges from the ongoing campo negotiations, Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo appeared on Radio 10 and stated that the charges have "nothing to do with the discussions with the agricultural sector."

Smoke clouded the Buenos Aires skyline this afternoon, the result of island grass fires in the Parana Delta. Strong winds are driving the smoke down river, creating severe visibility problems on the highways and enveloping the city in an acrid odor. The fires are located 30 minutes north of Buenos Aires and provincial governments are proving unable to extinguish them.

Buenos Aires obscured by smoke from the delta fires.

The fires are consuming grasslands in the Parana Delta, a complex network of islands, rivers and mainland, 30 minutes north of Buenos Aires. The fires are currently not accessible by overland vehicles, leaving the government with few options in extinguishing them. Firefighters are trying to dampen the flames through the use of water delivering helicopters, however that is proving ineffective as the fires rage on into the second week.

The provincial governments are working in tandem to prevent the fires from moving upriver and into the farming pastures of Entre Rios.

The Interior Ministry closed over 200km of highways today as a safety precaution. With visibility described as "virtually zero," the notoriously dangerous Ruta 9 became impassable. Already this week numerous accidents on Ruta 9 have left 4 dead and more than 20 injured.

Two men suspected of starting the fires have been detained by police, although neither has been charged with a crime. The authorities are still searching for the cause of the fires.

www.lnteve.com

Related

Otra vez, humo y mal olor llegaron a Capital (Clarin)

El Gobierno prohíbe circular en un tramo de la ruta 9 (INFOBAE.com)

Smoky (GoodAirs)

Smoky Skies (line of sight)

Fire Haze Shrouds Argentine Capital (Washington Post)