Federal Police Chief Humberto Freire de Barros said that some of the forest fires in the country may have occurred through coordinated actions. The chief’s statement was given in an interview conducted this Friday (13) by Globo News.
Barros is the director of the Amazon and Environment Department of the Federal Police. According to him, the police’s preliminary investigation indicates that fires were set simultaneously.
“We see that some fires started almost at the same time. This suggests that coordinated actions may have taken place. It is a starting point for the investigation,” he said in the interview.
The hypothesis of human action in part of the fires that have been ravaging the country this month has also been raised by the minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) Flávio Dino, who determined measures to combat fires in the Amazon and the Pantanal.
On Tuesday (10), during a conciliation hearing held by the Court, Dino defended the investigation and punishment of those who cause illegal fires.
“There is human action. That is why the Supreme Court comes up with this idea of dialogue, but, at the same time, of coercion, investigation and punishment of this human action,” said the minister.
According to the most recent survey by the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, 842 professionals and 18 planes are being used to fight the flames in the Pantanal. There are 116 fires registered and 83 extinguished.
