State in the Amazon had the highest number of fires in Brazil in 2024

Fabyo Cruz – From Cenarium

BELÉM (PA) – Pará recorded the highest number of fires in Brazil in 2024, according to the TerraBrasilis system of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE). Between January 1 and December 22, the state recorded 55,513 fires, representing 20.1% of the national total. Next came Mato Grosso (50,515), Amazonas (25,497) and Maranhão (22,374).

The impact of fires is alarming. From January to October this year, municipalities such as São Félix do Xingu, Novo Progresso and Altamira saw a 172% increase in fires compared to the same period in 2023, according to the State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainability (SEMAS).

In November, Santarém, in western Pará, declared a state of environmental emergency for 180 days. Decree No. 698/2024 was signed by Mayor Nélio Aguiar to contain the impacts of the fires, which have worsened air quality and caused respiratory diseases in the population.

The situation is equally critical in the Verde Para Sempre Extractive Reserve (Resex), in Porto de Moz. For two months, the reserve faced dense clouds of smoke, affecting the 2,235 families who depend on the area for their livelihoods. The reserve, one of the largest in Brazil, is home to several species of fauna and flora, but has been devastated by the flames.

“It got better because it rained, it put out the fire. But then it stopped raining and the fire came back”, fisherman Silvan Souto Sá, 34, told CENARIUM. He describes the destruction of buritizal areas and the impact on local biodiversity, such as guaribas and parrots, which are losing their habitats.

Threats for 2025

The devastation shouldn’t stop there. Pará leads the areas most at risk of deforestation in the Amazon for 2025, according to the PrevisIA platform, from the Amazon Institute for Man and the Environment (Imazon). The state accounts for 35% of the threatened territory, with 6,531 km² of forest expected to be destroyed, 4% more than in 2024.

Among the most vulnerable places are the Kayapó Indigenous Land, with a risk of deforestation equivalent to 2,500 soccer fields, and the Triunfo do Xingu Environmental Protection Area (APA), which continues to be the most threatened conservation unit in the Amazon for the fourth consecutive year.

Experts warn of the need for strong action to protect the most vulnerable areas and mitigate the damage already caused. Operations to combat invaders in indigenous territories, strengthening inspections and policies to support traditional populations are seen as fundamental steps to contain the environmental crisis that threatens the Amazon rainforest and its inhabitants.

CENARIUM asked Semas for a position on the state’s actions to combat fires in Pará. Read the note sent by the ministry in full below:

“The Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainability (SEMAS) reports that Pará has stepped up efforts to reduce deforestation and, consequently, the increase in forest fires and burn-offs, phenomena aggravated by global climate change. The years 2023 and 2024 are among the hottest since the pre-industrial revolution period, with high temperatures and reduced rainfall, conditions that increase environmental vulnerability and favor the occurrence of fires.

It is important to note that only 30% of Pará’s territory is under state jurisdiction, while 70% belongs to the federal sphere, which requires coordinated action with the Union. In September this year, the state requested support from the federal government to reinforce the resources earmarked for combating fires.

In addition, Pará is part of the Integrated Multi-Agency Center for National Operational Coordination (CIMAN), coordinated by the federal government, which brings together bodies such as the Ministry of the Environment, IBAMA, ICMBio, FUNAI, CENSIPAM and INCRA, as well as state representatives, to align strategies and joint actions to combat the fires.

At the state level, Operation Phoenix was reinforced by 40 new firefighters, adding up to 120 professionals spread across five work fronts. Eight new vehicles and fire dampers were also added to the three already in operation, as well as the support of two helicopters for aerial firefighting.

During this period, the forest is more flammable, which explains the increase in hotspots, even with the historic reduction in deforestation in Pará, which in 2024 reduced the rate of deforestation by 28.4%, surpassing the 21% drop recorded in the two previous years (2023 and 2022), according to data released by the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe).”

Read also: Pará leads deforestation risk in 2025, says Imazon

Edited by Marcela Leiros
Reviewed by Gustavo Gilona
Translated by Bruno Sena