The strongest forest fires in the last 20 years have covered Brazil (1 photo + 7 videos)
Category: Fires and Catastrophes, PEGI 0+
Today, 02:54
There have been 63,000 fires in the Amazon since January, according to the Brazilian Institute for Space Research. 
Temperatures above 35 ºC and low humidity, combined with a prolonged drought in the region, have led to fires in the northwest of Brazil's most populous state of 44 million people.
About 30 cities in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, are on high alert due to 2,300 wildfires recorded between Thursday and Friday alone.
On Friday evening, the Sao Paulo government created a crisis cabinet to coordinate the fight against the flames.
"We currently have 30 cities on high alert for major fires, and we are working to control the situation and guarantee the safety of people," Governor Tarcísio de Freitas said on the social network X.
The spread of the fire has caused serious disruptions to transport. Poor visibility due to smoke has completely or partially paralyzed traffic on a dozen roads.
Meanwhile, a thick gray fog has covered the capital of Sao Paulo.
A critical situation has developed in Sao José do Rio Preto, a city of 480,000 people, where more than 335 fire outbreaks have been recorded over the past four days and classes have been suspended, according to local media.
The smoke is so strong that it interferes with the normal operation of aviation. A video from the cabin of an airplane has gone viral online, where it is almost impossible to breathe.
In just two days, there were almost seven times more fires than in the whole of August last year. For this reason, the local government ordered the Civil Defense to set up a crisis office on Friday to find solutions to the drought and heat wave. The situation is still not under control.
