Brazil is now “at war against fires and crime”, the environment minister of the huge Latin American country, Marina Silva, said on Sunday, as a state of emergency has now been declared in 45 cities in the state of São Paulo (southeast).

After a meeting to deal with the crisis attended by President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, the minister emphasized that investigations have begun by the federal police to ascertain the causes of the fires that have been sweeping the region in recent days.

“The police will investigate and the government will work with all states to put out the fires,” Lula said later via X.

The governor of the state of Sao Paulo, Tarquisio ji Freitas, who declared a state of emergency in 45 communities, announced that two persons were arrested on suspicion of having committed arson.

One of the most affected areas is that of Hibeiru Preto, a city of more than 700,000 inhabitants, about 300 kilometers from São Paulo, in the heart of large agricultural areas.

“I woke up last night around 19:00 and it was very difficult to breathe. I’ve lived here for 32 years and I’ve never seen anything like this before,” retired Carlos Hodriges, 66, told AFP.

“I’m really scared (…) As I have rhinitis, I stay indoors,” Nazare Loureiro dos Santos, a 71-year-old beautician, said for her part, holding an umbrella as the rains expected yesterday’s downpours would contribute to the gravity of the situation somewhat eased.

Residents were forced to evacuate their homes in several areas as the flames approached, according to news website G1.

Videos circulating on social media sites showed Hibeiru Preto plunged into darkness yesterday evening, covered in a thick layer of smoke, while strong gusts of wind blew.

The situation is reminiscent of “Apocalypse”, with “a lot of wind, a lot of smoke, we can’t see anything and it’s only 5:00 p.m.,” says one of the citizens who took the video, wearing a mask to protect himself, his eyes half-closed because of the smoke.

Two factory workers died on Friday in Urupes, in the northern part of the state, fighting a fire.

Flights have been canceled and roads cut in half because of the fires, while crops have been destroyed and many livestock have been killed.

According to the municipality of Santo António do Aracungua, at least forty cattle were charred by a fire in a farm.

Governor Freitas announced that an amount of 10 million heais (about 1.63 million euros) will be made available to help farmers who lost their crops and ranchers who lost animals.

An Embraer KC-390 aircraft, a Brazilian Air Force transporter that has been converted into a firefighting aircraft and is capable of carrying up to 12,000 liters of water or foam, arrived in Hibeiro Preto on the night of Saturday to Sunday.

But, according to Minister Silva, she has not yet been able to attempt it, due to the amount of smoke. “This gives an idea of ​​the magnitude of the problem,” he said.

Clouds of smoke were visible yesterday in cities of other states and even in the capital Brasilia (central west).

According to data collected by satellites of the national institute for space research (INPE), the state of São Paulo is experiencing the worst August for fires since records began in 1998, with 3,480 outbreaks detected as of yesterday. This number is twice the total number of fire outbreaks last year.

Lula’s government links the situation to climate change. “No one can continue to deny the climate crisis. We need to fight climate change smartly, with investment and funding, including funding from rich countries that have already destroyed their own forests. The global South cannot bear this burden alone,” the Brazilian president said yesterday via X.

The spread of fires is favored by a period of extreme drought, in the state of São Paulo and in the Amazon (north), where fires are raging.

Since the beginning of this year, at least 48,674 fires have been detected in the region where the world’s largest rainforest is located, a number that has increased by 76% compared to the same period last year.