Amazon Jungle Fires Spew Toxic Smoke to Brazil’s Largest City

Latin America’s biggest economy facing extreme drought
Number of fires in the rainforest has topped 50,000 this year

Burnt land along a road following wildfires in Riberaio Preto, Sao Paulo state, Brazil, on Aug. 27.Photographer: Victor Moriyama/Bloomberg

Provide news feedback or report an error

Confidential tip?

Send a tip to our reporters

Site feedback:

Take our Survey

By Beatriz Amat and Vanessa Dezem

September 1, 2024 at 1:00 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

A curtain of smoke from wildfires in the Amazon rainforest is spreading across Brazil, making its way to Sao Paulo and possibly heading toward neighboring countries Argentina and Paraguay.

There were 28,697 fires reported in the Amazon region in August, 38% higher than the 10-year average, WWF-Brasil said, citing data from the National Institute for Space Research known as Inpe. The number exceeds 50,000 in the year to Aug. 27, the most since 2010, it said.