Government officials in Brazil suspect that “criminals” may be responsible for a record number of fires to burn down large areas in São Paulo state, reports BBC.
Human hands cause 99.9% of the fires, said Wolnei Wolff, head of Brazil’s National Office for Protection and Civil Defence. He underlined that such a high number of fires could not be justified with natural phenomena, like lightning or broken high-voltage cables. Until now, there have been four arrests for arson.
As per reports, tragically, two people have died, and more than 20,000 hectares have been destroyed. Large sugarcane fields are among those razed to the ground.
Environment Minister Marina Silva described the situation as “unusual,” noting that her team had never seen so many fires erupt in distant locations simultaneously. While officials have not disclosed the motive behind the fires, they indicated that the simultaneous outbreaks in different parts of the state suggest they were deliberately set.
According to data from the space agency Inpe, the number of fires in São Paulo this August is higher than in any August since the agency began collecting data in 1998. This month alone, 5,281 fires have been recorded, compared to 1,104 during the same period last year.
São Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas pointed out that high temperatures, strong winds, and low humidity contributed to the rapid spread of the flames. Over the weekend, several cities, including São Paulo and Brasilia’s capital, were blanketed in thick smoke.
Governor Freitas also mentioned that firefighters had successfully extinguished the fires by Monday but said 48 municipalities would remain on high alert to prevent new outbreaks.
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