Pará has 61 cities in a state of emergency due to forest fires

Forest fires led 61 municipalities in Pará to have a state of emergency recognized this Sunday (15) by the Ministry of Regional Integration and Development (MIDR). The measure allows the areas affected by fire to request federal funds for civil defense actions. Another 50 municipalities are in a state of emergency due to brush fires and drought. According to the federal government, 34 work plans for humanitarian assistance were approved in 2026, with funds totaling R$ 24 million. Data collected between Friday (13) and Saturday (14) by the Queimadas program of the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) show that Pará is the state with the highest number of fire hotspots: 791. Firefighting The National Center for the Prevention and Combat of Forest Fires (Prevfogo) of Ibama said it had recorded 207 forest fires extinguished in Pará as of Friday (13), according to the records of the National Fire Information System (Sisfogo). The area where action was most needed was the western part of the state. The agency also issued a statement about the fires in Amazonas. In that state, 408 forest fires were recorded as extinguished. The firefighting efforts involve 447 professionals, in partnership with teams from the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), the Brazilian Air Force (FAB), the National Force, and other support institutions. Inpe monitoring indicates the presence of 33 fire hotspots in the state detected by satellites in the last 48 hours. Indigenous territories The Coordination of Indigenous Organizations of the Brazilian Amazon (Coiab) issued a call on social media for the population to help combat the fire advancing in the Tapajós region. During the week, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib) filed a petition with the Supreme Federal Court (STF), within the scope of ADPF 743, and demanded a rapid and effective state response to combat the spread of forest fires in the Amazon. Apib highlighted as critical places hit by the fires the savanna and forest areas in the region of Igarapé do Camarão and Lago Verde, in the Alter do Chão Environmental Protection Area (APA). Located in Santarém (PA), the area is a reference territory of the Borari people. There was also an alert about the Apyterewa Indigenous Territory, of the recently contacted Parakanã people, where 593 heat detections were recorded in August, and in the Ituna-Itatá territory. The organization said it has reports that the fire hotspots would be linked to clandestine land subdivisions, fencing off, and illegal occupations for land speculation, and sent an official letter to the Federal Police requesting action.