Brazilian firefighters struggle to contain deadly wildfires

By Linda Bordoni 

Two factory workers died in the Urupes municipality while fighting flames as soaring temperatures and low humidity are stoking dangerous fire conditions in the state, which has endured a prolonged drought.

Brazil has meanwhile deployed military aircraft to combat raging wildfires in the densely populated state of Sao Paulo, where authorities suspect arsonists are responsible for the blazes.

War against the fire

Following a crisis meeting, President Lula da Silva and the Environment  Minister on Sunday announced a "war against the fire" as emergency measures were put in place and federal police began investigations into what they described as an "atypical situation that has caused extensive damage.

3,000 firefighters have been deployed nationwide and the government has promised federal assistance to the states most affected.

The governor of Sao Paulo, 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.

With dense smoke drifting across a wide swath of Brazil - even reaching the capital city Brasilia, 720 kilometres to the north -  flights have been cancelled and travel on some roads has been halted.

The situation was also critical in São Jose do Rio Preto, a city of 480,000 inhabitants, where more than 335 fires have been registered recently, prompting school closures.

Series of extreme weather events

Brazil has been hit by a series of extreme weather events, most recently a massive wildfire in the Pantanal wetlands in June.

Earlier this year in May, Brazil also experienced once-in-a-century flooding in the State of Rio Grande do Sul which left more than 170 people dead and displaced more than half a million people from their homes.

(Source: various news agencies)