Federal Probe Opened as Amazonas Fires and Smoke Overwhelm Manaus

Overview

• The federal government recognized a state of emergency in 36 Amazonas municipalities on Oct. 10 and deployed 11 aircraft plus hundreds of federal brigadistas to back local operations.
• INPE/BDQueimadas recorded 7,815 fire hotspots in Amazonas from Jan. 1 to Oct. 12, 2026, a 116% increase over the same period in 2025 while remaining below the 2024 peak.
• Ministry officials say the fires were started by people and investigators have opened 120 procedural records with involvement from the Federal Police, Federal Highway Police, Amazonas Civil Police and ABIN to probe possible organized action.
• Thick smoke degraded air quality in Manaus, prompted suspension of in‑person classes and health alerts, and meteorologists say drought, wind patterns and atmospheric stability can keep pollution high even after new fires fall.
• Field reporting and a recorded firefighter call from Manacapuru reveal shortages of vehicles, boats and equipment for local crews even though the ministry says 292 fires have been put out and eight remain active.