SAO PAULO: Wildfire outbreaks have impacted or neared 30 cities in São Paulo state, Brazil, with two fatalities reported from an industrial plant where workers were combating the flames. The fires, fueled by recent dry and hot weather, have prompted warnings about rapid spread due to strong winds.
As of Friday evening, the city of São Paulo itself, Latin America’s largest by population with over 11 million residents, has not been directly affected, though local media reported smoke dimming parts of the city’s sky.
In the city of Urupês, two employees of an industrial plant lost their lives while battling the fire. Meanwhile, Raizen, the world’s largest sugarcane processor, announced a halt in operations at its Sertãozinho plant since Thursday due to surrounding fires in sugarcane fields.
The state government has formed an emergency committee to address the situation, which has also caused disruptions on approximately 15 highways. This year’s wildfire season, which typically peaks in August and September, began unusually early in Pantanal and saw a spike in fires in the Amazon rainforest in July, according to recent government data.
