SP task force embarks to fight forest fires in Amazonas

The São Paulo team will bring equipment and resources to reinforce operations carried out in the region. Among the materials sent are drones, specialized equipment and 11 thousand liters of retardant.

According to the Fire Department, the professionals will work together with local teams. The work will be concentrated on directly fighting the flames, containing the spread of fire and protecting threatened areas.

The task force is scheduled to board at 1pm this Sunday, at Viracopos International Airport, in Campinas, in the interior of São Paulo.

According to the Fire Department, "the mobilization reinforces cooperation between states and the commitment to preserving life, property and the environment."

The announcement of reinforcement to work in Amazonas comes amid the worsening situation in the state. This Saturday (10), smoke once again covered Manaus for the third consecutive day, and the concentration of particles reached 209.1 µg/m³ in one of the monitored points in the capital of Amazonas.

The index exceeds by 736.4% the limit of 25 µg/m³ used by the Electronic Environmental Surveillance System (Selva), of the State University of Amazonas (UEA), to classify air quality as good.

At around 6 am, the sensor installed at the State Secretariat for the Environment (Sema), in the Central-South Zone, registered 209.1 µg/m³, a level classified as terrible. In the central region of the city, the concentration reached 164.1 µg/m³, while the sensor in Morro da Liberdade recorded 157.2 µg/m³. The three points had air quality that was considered terrible.