Forest fires prompt Brazilian state to declare emergency

BRASILIA: A northern Brazilian state has declared an environmental state of emergency due to hundreds of forest fires in the Amazon basin amid a severe drought linked to the El Nino climate phenomenon.

Since the start of November, the state of Para has already recorded more than 5,000 fires, almost as many as during the entire month of November 2025, according to satellite data from the National Institute for Space Research.

Nearly 700 fires were active in the last 48 hours.

The emergency measure announced Thursday is to last 120 days and bans the use of fire to clear pastureland and mobilizes additional resources to extinguish fires and prevent new outbreaks.