Well, I logged into CNN.com yesterday and discovered that this was one of the "Top Stories" worldwide, so you may have already heard, but the name Buenos Aires, or "good winds'', doesn't really apply to this city right now.
This past week, some farmers in the provinces of Buenos Aires and Entre Rios decided to set fire to their fields, allegedly to clear the fields of weeds, etc, before planting again. The fires got out of control and have now continued to burn for over 4 days, and Buenos Aires is completely overrun with smoke, to the extent that many people put on masks or cover their faces with scarves while walking in the streets. It's caused traffic accidents because it's difficult to see on the highways outside of the city, and a lot of the routes have been shut down because of it. Also, all flights going into the regional airport are being redirected.
The picture included here was taken a few days ago, and the smoke has only gotten worse. It's of 9 de Julio, which is the biggest avenue in the city (I think possibly in the world, as well). In the center of the avenue is the Obelisco, possibly the most well-known monument of Buenos Aires. When I was at 9 de Julio yesterday, the Obelisco was hardly visible.
Anyway, they're saying that the winds are going to change soon and blow the smoke out of the city, but chances are it's going to stay like this for a few days more. Another reason that I'm writing is because there is a lot of speculation (nothing official) that the farmers who set the fires let them get out of control on purpose, in connection to what I wrote about in the post below.
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