Thursday, October 15, 2026 -Wildfires are surging across Brazil’s Amazonas state, with 1,679 fires recorded in the first two weeks of October 2026 — a staggering 253% increase compared with the same period last year.
Thick smoke is spreading across communities, triggering respiratory problems and forcing the cancellation of outdoor events and the closure of public schools in Manaus, a city of more than two million people. At least 36 municipalities have declared states of emergency as the crisis intensifies.
Climate change, drought and El Niño are creating increasingly dangerous conditions by raising temperatures and delaying rainfall, leaving vegetation dry and vulnerable to burning. However, human activity is also a major factor, with authorities suspecting that some fires were deliberately started to clear land for agriculture and deforestation.
Brazil has deployed firefighting aircraft and hundreds of firefighters to contain the flames, while officials have pledged to investigate suspected arson.
The growing emergency threatens far more than trees. Smoke pollution is endangering public health, while continued forest destruction risks damaging biodiversity and weakening the Amazon’s role in regulating rainfall and storing carbon.
Authorities must urgently strengthen fire prevention, enforce laws against illegal land clearing and protect vulnerable communities from hazardous air. With dry conditions expected to persist, the coming weeks will be critical in determining whether firefighters can contain the blazes before the environmental and human costs rise further.
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