A dense layer of smoke covered a river in Nova Olinda do Norte, in the interior of Amazonas, this Tuesday morning (13), amid the spread of fires in the state. A video recorded by a resident around 6am, while returning from a fishing trip, shows the red sky and reduced visibility over the waters. (see above).
The municipality recorded 27 fires between October 1st and 13th and is among the 36 in Amazonas that had an emergency situation recognized by the federal government.
In the video, the resident comments on the situation while navigating the area filled with smoke. "Look at the situation here near Nova Olinda: just smoke", he reports.
Federal government recognizes emergency in 36 municipalities
The recognition of the emergency situation in the 36 affected municipalities was made official by the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development (MIDR) on Saturday (10). The measure allows for integrated action by response forces and the transfer of federal resources.
The Minister of Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes, highlighted that the measure helps both in fighting fires and in assisting the affected population.
"One thing is to confront it on all fronts and employ all the force it can, the Federal Government together with the State and municipalities, to put out the fire. The other is to assist people who are already, in some way, in need of humanitarian assistance, medical assistance as a result of the fire", he stated.
Minister sees signs of arson
Faced with the advance of the flames, a federal government delegation flew over affected areas in Amazonas on Sunday (11). After the inspection, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, João Paulo Capobianco, stated that the situation was more serious than he expected.
"I would say, more serious than I imagined after doing the overflight, because we identified many fires in the middle of the preserved forest. It's not just that fire that was placed in the pasture and entered the forest. In this case, in addition to the fire that comes from the pasture, we saw fires in the middle of the preserved forest. Countless fires", said Capobianco.
The minister highlighted that the presence of isolated outbreaks in areas of preserved forest that are difficult to access may indicate intentional human action to degrade the vegetation and prepare the ground for future deforestation.
Given the scenario, he asked the government of Amazonas to mobilize the Military Police to work with the Fire Department to combat the fires and identify those responsible.
The minister also defended the fight against impunity and the accountability of people involved in arson.
"It is essential that these individuals who are acting criminally see that they will be punished. In other words, it is necessary to combat the impunity that is reigning here in the region", he highlighted.
g1 contacted the Government of Amazonas and the state Public Security Secretariat (SSP-AM) to find out if the Military Police were already working to combat arson, but received no response until the publication of this report.
Amazonas recorded 1,300 fires in 10 days
The mobilization occurs amid an increase in fire records in the state. In the first ten days of October this year, Amazonas registered 1,380 outbreaks, an increase of 271% compared to the same period in 2025, when 372 were registered. The data are from the Fire Panel, from the Management and Operational Center of the Amazon Protection System (Censipam).
Of the total recorded in the first ten days of the month, 1,186 outbreaks were identified in public areas, 93 on private properties and 101 in places whose land status had not been defined.
In the same period, 246 outbreaks were registered in federal settlement areas, 116 in indigenous lands and 97 in conservation units.
Dense smoke haze covers river in the interior of Amazonas — Photo: Reproduction
