Federal Forces Deploy Aircraft and Intelligence-Led Probes in Amazonas Fires

Overview

• INPE/BDQueimadas recorded 7,815 fire hotspots in Amazonas through Oct. 12, a 116% rise versus 2025 that has driven the federal response.
• The federal government declared emergency for 36 municipalities on Oct. 10 and has sent 11 aircraft, a KC-390, helicopters and roughly 290 federal brigadistas with additional crews en route.
• Ministry officials say the fires were started by people and opened criminal inquiries that involve the Federal Police, Polícia Civil, Polícia Rodoviária Federal and Brazil’s intelligence agency ABIN, with task-force teams already filing about 120 occurrence reports.
• Local capacity is strained: residents and audio recordings show firefighting vehicles were unavailable in Manacapuru, municipal crews are stretched thin, and CBMAM responded to a separate large building fire in central Manaus on Oct. 15 with dozens of firefighters.
• Smoke has harmed health and wildlife, hitting indigenous lands and prompting school and outdoor-activity suspensions even as Manaus air-quality indices eased to a moderate range this week.