RIBEIRO PRETO: The Brazilian government is deploying military planes to combat wildfires ravaging Sao Paulo state in the southeast, as more than 40 cities have been placed on high alert, the regional development minister announced on Sunday.

Minister Waldez Goes said that four planes will be mobilised initially “to fight the flames and monitor affected zones.” They include a KC-390 Embraer, a troop transport craft converted to be able to drop loads of up to 12,000 litres of water on fire zones.

Among the cities most threatened is Ribeirao Preto, with a population of more than 700,000, 300km from Sao Paulo.

Videos posted on social media showed Ribeirao Preto plunged into near-darkness by a dense layer of smoke.

“It’s apocalyptic. Lots of wind, lots of smoke — you can’t even see the city. And it is 5:00 pm,” a person wearing a protective mask is heard saying on one video. Two factory workers died Friday in Urupes, in the northern part of the state, while fighting a fire, officials said.

The Sao Paulo governor declared a state of emergency in 45 towns and cities.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2024