Brazil's Para declares emergency over Amazon fires

Brazil's northern state of Para has declared a 120-day environmental state of emergency after recording more than 5,000 fires since the start of November, according to satellite data from the National Institute for Space Research.

The measure, announced on November 12, bans the use of fire to clear pastureland and mobilises extra resources to put out fires and prevent new outbreaks. Nearly 700 fires were active in the previous 48 hours.

The number of fires recorded so far this month is almost as high as during all of November 2025. Para's government said severe drought and parched vegetation were helping fires spread and threatening people, forests and economic activity.

The Brazilian Amazon is being affected by El Nino, a Pacific warming phenomenon linked to higher temperatures and drought. Manaus, in neighbouring Amazonas state, closed schools in early October because of health risks from smoke from nearby fires.

The Amazon is the world's largest tropical forest. Brazil's Amazon recorded a record number of forest fires in 2024, and this year's fire season is expected to be especially severe, with a peak forecast for December.