Amazon fires

At press time, satellite data showed that there were more than 2,500 active fires burning in the Brazilian Amazon. Smoke from the fires caused dangerous smog levels in São Paulo, despite the city’s being more than 1,000 miles away. (“Active” is not a description of the size or longevity of a fire; it only means that, at the time of detection, it was burning and was distinct from other fires, so a small, short-lived fire would still have been counted.)

Up until Aug. 22, more than 74,000 Amazon fires had been detected in 2019 alone, an 84% increase from the number of fires during the same period in 2018.

Brazilian environmental scientists said that, as it was Brazil’s dry season, some fires were to be expected; however, the high number this year is likely due to human activity, probably land being cleared with fire by ranchers and farmers.

Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, said that the country did not have the resources to fight the fires, but on Aug. 23 the Brazilian Army was deployed to help control them.