Brazil's Ministry of Defense has authorized some 40,000 troops to take part in operations to combat the blazing wildfires. Smoke from the fires has covered the city of Porto Velho and brought protesters into the streets.
A video posted by Brazil's Ministry of Defense showed a C-130 Hercules plane, one of two sent to the region, dumping water out of its jets while flying over the smoke-covered rainforest canopy near Porto Velho.
After facing international criticism that Brazil was not doing enough to fight the fires, President Jair Bolsonaro announced earlier in the week that he would send in the military to fight the fires. As of Sunday, Bolsonaro had authorized military operations in seven of Brazil's 26 states in response to requests for help from local governments.
On Sunday, the Ministry of Defense said in a briefing that 44,000 troops were available in the northern Amazon region but did not provide further operational details as to where they would be deployed and what they would do.
New fires continued to break out over the weekend, even as the government stepped up its operations. Some 1,130 new fires were ignited between Friday and Saturday, Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) noted.
Close to 80,000 fires have been registered across large swaths of the Amazon, the highest number since at least 2013, according to INPE.
Fires, smoke reach Bolivia
The Amazon Basin, where at least half the fires are located, is home to some 20 million people.
On Sunday, giant smoke clouds covered Porto Velho, the capital city of Rondonia and home to some half a million inhabitants. Brazil's Justice Minister Sergio Moro authorized 30 military police to be sent to Porto Velho to assist in fighting the fires.
Army soliders and firefighters were sent to the city of Porto Velho to help fight the forest firesImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Peres
Thousands of protesters also took to the street in Rio de Janeiro, demanding that the government do more to tackle the fires and chanting, "Bolsonaro leave, Amazon stay."
The fires have also affected neighboring Bolivia, as flames and smoke from the fires in Brazil swept to the border. Fires have also been burning in Chiquitania, a tropical savannah region on the Bolivian side of the border. President Evo Morales suspended his election campaign to deal with the fires and said he would accept international help to fight the blazes.
About 60% of the Amazon lies in Brazil. The rainforest is considered vital in the fight against climate change because of the large amounts of carbon dioxide that it absorbs. It is also home to an incredible array of biodiversity.
Experts attribute the cause of the fires to the clearing of land during the dry season for agricultural use.
Demonstrations have been held around the world lamenting the fires in the Amazon rainforest. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has encouraged agriculture in the region, is facing intense international pressure.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/P. Karadjias
Brazil's burning
Four times the number of forest fires have burned so far this year in the Amazon compared to the whole of 2018, Brazil's National Institute for Space Research says. Ranchers and loggers are responsible for setting most of them as part of efforts to clear land for cattle. Environmental groups say land deforestation has increased dramatically since President Jair Bolsonaro took office in January.
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot/D, Sanoaui
Stark satellite view
Satellite images show the true scale of the deforestation over large swathes of difficult-to-reach tropical rainforest. Bolsonaro is facing intense international pressure to tackle the fires. The Brazilian president has blamed indigenous tribes, small-scale farmers and even global NGOs — without evidence. On Friday, he said he was considering deploying the army to help put out the fires.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Planet Labs Inc.
Dry season fans flames
Brazil's dry season is helping the blazes spread more quickly. In the country's Amazonas state, heat from forest fires has been above average every day throughout August. To step up the pressure on Brazil, Norway and Germany have halted donations to Brazil’s Amazon support fund. France has even mooted the idea of blocking an EU trade deal with South American nations.
Image: Reuters/A. Machado
Chemical deforestation
Brazil isn't the only country involved in deforestation. Peru, with the second-largest expanse of Amazonian forest, is also seeing a growing problem. Illegal gold miners have been accused of causing irreversible environmental damage to more than 110 square kilometers (42 square miles) of forest and river basins through the liberal use of fertilizers.
Image: AFP/C. Bouroncle
Other neighbors affected
Brazil's other neighbors Bolivia and Paraguay have also struggled to contain forest fires. About 7,500 square kilometers (2,900 square miles) of land has been affected in Bolivia. The country has even deployed a Boeing 747-400 SuperTanker carrying 76,000 liters (20,000 gallons) of retardant, a substance used to stop fires.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/C. de Souza
Lungs are burning
As well as political pressure, the sheer scale of the wildfires has sparked public protests against Brazilian interests around the world, including the country's embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus. The Amazon is billed as the "the lungs of the planet," as the rainforest produces about a fifth of the total oxgyen needed for life on earth.
