Amazon Wildfires Choke Brazil's Manaus With Smoke
Officials cancel public school classes and urge mask use as air quality plummets in the Amazon region's largest city.
Smoke from wildfires has severely impacted air quality in Manaus, the largest city in Brazil's Amazon region, leading to disruptions in daily life and public services. The city's government suspended in-person work at municipal administrative offices and canceled public school classes on Friday due to the worsening air quality.
Residents have been advised to wear face masks. The concentration of pollutants in Manaus averaged 196 micrograms per cubic meter, a level considered unhealthy and significantly above the normal range of approximately 3 to 9 micrograms per cubic meter. The city stated that heavy smoke from fires in other municipalities within Amazonas state and neighboring states has affected Manaus for several days.
Satellite data from state and federal agencies shows significant clusters of fire hotspots near Manaus, in the southern part of Amazonas state, and near Santarem in Para state. As of Thursday, Brazil's National Institute for Space Research reported approximately 33,556 fire hotspots in the Brazilian Amazon this year. This figure represents nearly a 50% increase compared to the same period in 2025, although it remains about 53% below the historical average.
The location of fire hotspots has shifted throughout the Amazon since the dry season began in June. Initially concentrated in the northern states of Roraima and Amapa, the fires have recently increased in southern Amazonas state and around Santarem in Para state.
Studies suggest that the effects of El Niño could be more severe in 2027, potentially disrupting the region's rainy season. Officials are urging preparations for drought, heat, and increased fire activity as the El Niño phenomenon develops. This cyclical climate pattern typically raises temperatures and exacerbates drought conditions in the Amazon.
During the 2023 and 2024 El Niño events, temperatures in the Amazon rose 2 to 4 degrees Celsius (3.5 to 7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the historical average. This heat, coupled with severe drought, fueled the Amazon's most intense wildfires in two decades.
The Amazon is a critical global ecosystem, storing vast amounts of carbon dioxide and generating atmospheric moisture that influences weather patterns beyond South America. The majority of wildfires in the region are intentionally set by humans rather than being natural occurrences.
Brazil's Environment Ministry has deployed fire crews and aircraft to combat fires in Amazonas state and has notified rural property owners of their responsibility to prevent and fight wildfires. The ministry also stated that on-the-ground inspections are being intensified to curb new fires and investigate illegal fire use. The Amazonas state government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.