(Bloomberg) -- Wildfires burning across Brazil have been caused by low humidity and a heat wave, but also by criminal activity, according to Environment Minister Marina Silva.
The Federal Police have opened 31 investigations and arrested two people suspected of intentionally causing fires in the state of Sao Paulo, which is facing a record number of blazes, she told reporters on Sunday.
Twenty-one cities in Sao Paulo, the wealthiest region of the largest economy in Latin America, face thousands of active outbreaks, while 46 municipalities are being monitored because they’re on high alert for fires, state Governor Tarcísio de Freitas said on X.
Across the country, several cities have suspended schools, temporarily closed roads and canceled flights because of the blazes. The federal government on Sunday deployed four military planes to combat the fires and monitor affected zones in Sao Paulo.
“Several cities are burning at the same time and it is not natural to have so many fire fronts in just a few days,” Silva said after an emergency meeting with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and other cabinet members.
Smoke from the fires in Sao Paulo and other states, including Mato Grosso in the central west, and Amazonas, has descended on cities and towns in other parts of Brazil, she said.
The Sao Paulo state government announced a 10 million reais ($1.8 million) financial aid package for local producers affected by the fires.
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