Amazonas state declares emergency in 36 municipalities — The Rio Times
Brazil’s Amazonas state declared a state of emergency in 36 municipalities on October 10 due to forest fires and heavy smoke. This was reported by The Rio Times. Brazil’s federal government recognized the state decree on the same day, allowing authorities to request federal funding and deploy aircraft.
The areas covered by the state of emergency include Manaus and its metropolitan area, the southern part of the state, and several river cities, including Itacoatiara, Parintins, Tefé, Humaitá, and Lábrea. In Manaus, smoke from the fires persisted for the third consecutive day.
Smoke and canceled events
On the morning of October 10, a sensor operated by the state environmental secretariat in Manaus recorded a concentration of PM2.5 fine particles at 209.1 micrograms per cubic meter. In Itacoatiara, located about 175 kilometers east of the state capital, the figure reached 2016.1 micrograms per cubic meter. Local civil defense authorities sent residents alerts recommending that they wear masks outdoors.
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Municipal schools in Manaus were closed on October 9. City authorities also suspended all planned outdoor events for October 11 and 12, including activities at Cidade da Criança and Gigantes da Floresta parks, on the Glória waterfront, and the Boi Manaus fair. Between October 1 and 8, the city recorded 82 emergency medical assistance calls related to smoke.
Drought and federal assistance
In September, 3,726 satellite heat spots were recorded in Amazonas, compared with 942 in September 2025. According to Brazil’s National Institute of Meteorology, Manaus received 44 mm of rainfall from July through September, compared with a normal level of 202 mm, while no rainfall was recorded at all in August. Luiz Aragão, a researcher at the National Institute for Space Research, said that most fires begin in pastures and already cleared land, and the drought causes the fire to spread into the forest.
Four Air Tractor firefighting aircraft and two helicopters arrived in Manaus, while 290 federal firefighters were sent to the state. Brazil’s Environment Ministry reported that 229 fires have been extinguished in Amazonas since the start of the critical season, while teams from the environmental agency Ibama are still working on 20 fires.
