The Amazon had a record number of fires in one day for the month of August since 2017. On August 22, 3,358 hotspots were detected by the Queimadas program [Fire control Program], from Inpe (National Institute for Space Research). The number exceeds what became known as "fire day", on August 10, 2019. On the occasion, rural producers agreed to burn, in the same period, pasture and areas in the process of deforestation. The alert was given by researcher Ane Alencar, Science director at Ipam (Amazon Environmental Research Institute).
The "fire day" agreement was revealed on August 5 by journalist Adécio Piran, from the Pará website Folha do Progresso. The reporter even had to leave the city after that, as he started receiving death threats. The entire movement was organized via WhatsApp groups, one called Sertão and another called Jornal A Voz da Verdade, made up of local authorities. The days surrounding August 10, in fact, had high records of hotspots, especially August 11, with 2,366 hotspots. So far, this was the highest number for the month of August. Besides the record damage, the case generated only a handful of environmental fines.
Translated by Cassy Dias