The Minister of Institutional Relations, Alexandre Padilha, reported that the government is willing to help the government of São Paulo to alleviate the situation in the 30 municipalities that are on maximum alert due to the fires that are ravaging the state.
The nod of support was given by the minister via social media this Saturday (24). “We are monitoring the serious situation of fires in the state of São Paulo, there are 30 cities on high alert, highways closed, and frightening scenarios”, posted the minister.
“We are working to ensure that measures are taken as quickly as possible and the situation is resolved,” he added, expressing solidarity with the friends and family of the two firefighters who died in Urupês while trying to control the fire.
The local government created a crisis cabinet to manage monitoring and control actions of the situation. According to the Civil Defense Emergency Management Center (CGE), there are active fire outbreaks in 30 cities, which is why a maximum alert for large fires has been established.
“These are locations with low air humidity and high risk due to the heat wave that is affecting the entire state,” the state government said in a statement. There is a risk that these fires will be fueled by gusts of wind, reaching large areas of natural vegetation, in addition to emitting “dense and toxic smoke that harms the environment and human health, causing problems to the respiratory system and cardiovascular disorders.”
Smoke has spread across several areas of the state, and there are records of relative humidity below 20%, in addition to very intense heat – which further worsens the situation. According to the government of São Paulo, two employees of a plant in Urupês died trying to fight a fire.
Several major fires have led the local government to close some highways, which has had a “significant” impact on traffic in several regions. Alerts have been issued advising drivers to avoid certain routes and to check traffic conditions before hitting the road.
“The main recommendation is to avoid crossing areas with smoke and fire curtains. If this is not possible, reduce speed, keep your low beam headlights on and maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front,” says the note from the São Paulo government.
The municipalities on high alert for fires are:
