STORY: Firefighters near Brazil's capital managed to extinguish a massive forest fire on Wednesday (Sept. 4). The blaze had been raging for two days and had destroyed 20% of a nearby forest, leaving the city shrouded in gray smoke.
Officials suspect that arsonists started the fire.
Firefighter Godoy is busy extinguishing the flames:
“At the moment we are trying to protect and control the area where the farms are located. This fire started yesterday and the wind is now pushing the fire towards the farms. The big problem is that roads like the one we are driving on cannot contain the embers of 50 meters and 60 meters high, which is a big problem for the fire brigade.”
The National Forest of Brasilia protects the main sources that provide 70% of the city's fresh water. It is a protected area that extends over 54 square kilometers of forest.
The fire started during the dry season, causing it to spread quickly.
Firefighters tried to stop the blaze before it could spread to nearby orchards where farmers grow tomatoes and flowers, despite strong winds that hampered their work.
In 2022, the forest was nearly halved in size to make way for urban development under former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro reduced environmental controls and increased deforestation in the Amazon.
This year, a record drought and the El Niño weather pattern have increased the risk of fires in the Amazon, with August seeing the most fires since 2010.
