STORY-TRÅD·politik

Human activity triggers wave of fires in Amazonas state

Over the past two days, the state of Amazonas has recorded 540 new fire hotspots. This figure represents more than half the number detected throughout October 2025, when 874 hotspots were recorded over 31 days, according to the Queimadas dashboard of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). On Sunday (Oct. 11), Environment and Climate Change Minister João Paulo Capobianco and Integration and Regional Development Minister Waldez Góes flew over the state and identified fires in hard-to-reach forested areas. Notícias relacionadas:Cooperation with municipalities reduces fire in Amazon.Brazil reports smallest burned area for January in three years.Brazil’s burned area in 2025 is 31% below historical average.Since fires in the Amazon biome do not occur spontaneously, Minister Capobianco believes they are the result of intentional human activity, possibly aimed at degrading the biome and clearing the land for future deforestation. “It is essential that those who act criminally know they will be punished,” stated the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. The increase in air pollution caused by smoke from wildfires prompted Civil Defense in Manaus, the state capital, to issue a health risk alert last Friday (9). The situation also resulted in the provisional declaration of a state of emergency in 36 municipalities across the state. Emergency response An emergency task force comprising municipal, state, and federal authorities is working to combat the fires. The Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) has sent six aircraft to the region - four Air Tractor planes used for water drops and two helicopters - as well as 290 firefighters. “These are highly specialized aircraft, specifically designed to fight forest fires. Each aircraft drops about 3,000 liters of water,” explained Jair Schmitt, head of IBAMA. Two additional KC-390 aircraft from the Brazilian Air Force arrived on Sunday (11) to reinforce the effort at the request of Civil Defense. The National Force of Brazil’s public health care system, the SUS, is also operating in municipalities that have already declared a state of emergency.