Authorities in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state have reported that fires, which had destroyed thousands of hectares of forest, are now under control. However, an alert for potential new blazes remains in effect.
Over the past few days, around 2,700 fires were recorded in the agricultural state, leading to more than 40 municipalities being on high alert. The fires resulted in the destruction of over 20,000 hectares as confirmed by authorities.
As of Monday morning, Governor Tarcisio de Freitas stated to local media that there were no active fires remaining. He mentioned that soldiers and firefighters are on standby to prevent any potential reignition as dry weather persists.
Brazil has been facing extreme weather conditions, including massive wildfires in the Pantanal wetlands and severe flooding in Rio Grande do Sul, causing over 170 fatalities. Due to a prolonged drought, Sao Paulo state is currently experiencing one of its worst Augusts in decades with over 3,480 separate fires detected, double the amount from 2023 as reported by INPE, the National Institute for Space Research.
Despite progress in Sao Paulo, there are still ongoing fires in the Brazilian Amazon, facing the highest number of blazes seen in almost twenty years. Experts and officials attribute the exacerbation of these fires to climate change, leading to dry and hot conditions, often ignited illegally for land clearing purposes.
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