Brazil was deploying military aircraft as part of a “war” against wildfires ravaging the southeastern state of Sao Paulo, with authorities warning on Sunday that arsonists were setting blazes.
Following a crisis meeting of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s cabinet, Environment Minister Marina Silva announced a “war against the fire” and said federal police were investigating the “atypical situation” that has caused extensive damage.
Tarcisio de Freitas, the governor of Sao Paulo, by far the country’s most populous state with some 44 million residents, decreed a state of emergency in 45 municipalities and said two people suspected of starting fires had been arrested.
The president promised federal assistance to the states in fighting the blazes, saying there were already 3,000 firefighters working nationwide.
With dense smoke drifting across a wide swath of Brazil – even reaching capital city Brasilia 720 kilometers (450 miles) to the north – several flights have been canceled and travel on some roads has been halted.
Two factory workers died on Friday in Urupes, in the northern part of the state, while fighting a fire, officials said.
The military aircraft being deployed include a KC-390 Embraer, a converted troop transport craft that can drop up to 12,000 liters (3,170 gallons) of water on fire zones.
The Embraer was sent to one of the communities most threatened, Ribeirao Preto, a city of 700,000 inhabitants about 300 kilometers from Sao Paulo.
Videos posted on social media showed the city plunged into near-darkness by a dense layer of smoke. Some residents have had to evacuate.
Authorities were hoping that the rains that fell on Sunday would help alleviate the crisis.
Governor de Freitas said 10 million reais (around $1.8 million) were being allocated to help farmers who lose crops or livestock.
Amid prolonged drought, Sao Paulo state is experiencing its worst month for fires in decades, with 3,480 separate blazes identified, according to INPE, the National Institute for Space Research.
Carlos Dabal, Louis Genot with AFP
