THE Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park was closed today (26) due to a new forest fire.
The fire started yesterday (25) inside the park, near Vila de São Jorge. Visitors, including those who were in the Sete Quedas camping area, were evacuated by the Parquetur concessionaire team.
More than 60 firefighters from the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) and volunteers worked to combat the flames, which were brought under control around midnight. The firefighting and monitoring work in the region continues today.
According to ICMBio, there is still no date for the park to reopen.
At the beginning of the month, a fire had already destroyed 10 thousand hectares of the park.
Park
The Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park is located in the northeast of the state of Goiás, between the municipalities of Alto Paraíso de Goiás, Cavalcante, Teresina de Goiás, Nova Roma and São João d’Aliança.
Created in 1961, the site protects an area of approximately 240,611 hectares of Cerrado. The site is home to unique plant species, springs and watercourses, and prehistoric rocks. Since 2001, the site has been declared a Natural World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).