SAEDNEWS: Government officials in Brazil say they suspect "criminals" are behind a record number of fires which have devastated large swathes of São Paulo state.
According to SAEDNEWS, Brazilian officials are investigating a series of devastating fires in São Paulo state, suspecting that "criminals" are responsible for the unprecedented number of blazes.
Wolnei Wolff, the head of Brazil's National Office for Protection and Civil Defense, revealed that human actions are responsible for an alarming 99.9% of the fires. He pointed out that there have been no lightning strikes or downed high voltage cables to explain the extensive fires, suggesting a deliberate cause behind the incidents.
As part of the investigation, four individuals have been arrested, according to BBC reports.
Environment Minister Marina Silva described the situation as "unusual," noting that her team had not observed such a high number of fires igniting simultaneously in remote locations. While officials have not disclosed the motives behind the suspected arson, the simultaneous outbreaks in various parts of the state have led them to believe that the fires were intentionally set.
Data from Brazil's space agency, Inpe, supports the concerns, indicating that the number of fires reported in São Paulo for August has reached levels not seen since the agency began tracking data in 1998. So far, there have been 5,281 fires recorded this month, compared to just 1,104 in the same period last year.
