08/24/2024 – 15:50
The state of São Paulo has 36 cities on high alert for fires, the state government reported this Saturday, the 24th, at 1:30 pm (see the full list below). Of these, 17 continue to have active fire outbreaks. The situation worsened in the cities of São Paulo this Friday, the 23rd, and led the state government to declare a state of emergency in 30 affected municipalities. Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) stated that most of the outbreaks “are being extinguished”.
Today will still be “critical” for fires in the state, meteorological company MetSul warned. “A cold front should bring rain to parts of the south, east and near Paraná, but part of the interior of São Paulo will still have dry and hot weather with a lot of wind, which will bring an extreme risk of fire,” the alert says.
In total, the fires caused traffic congestion on three highways. At 9:30 a.m., the Luiz Augusto de Oliveira Highway (SP-215) was partially closed: between km 195 and km 209, in the municipality of Dourado, in the São Carlos region. There is a detour via a municipal road at km 195.
The other two highways are:
– In Sertãozinho: Carlos Tonani Highway, km 089 to 090 – East and West Lanes / EcoNoroeste. The lane is closed at km 86, westbound, with traffic being diverted to the marginal road. On the eastbound lane, at km 098, a turnaround point was implemented so that users can continue safely.
– In Olímpia: Armando Salles de Oliveira Highway, at km 529, total closure.
Governor flies over affected areas
Governor Tarcísio de Freitas flew over the affected regions on Saturday morning, his office said. “The situation is now coming under control. Most of the fires are already being extinguished,” he said in a press release.
According to him, in addition to the firefighters, the government is counting on the assistance of the Armed Forces, Navy, Army and the Union of Sugarcane Industries. “We must be very careful now in those regions where the fire could reach homes and industries, to preserve people’s physical integrity.”
“It is worth remembering that we need to be extremely cautious. We must work together to prevent the spread. We have a combination of factors such as high temperatures, low relative humidity, and strong winds. Everything that is conducive to the ignition and spread of these fires,” he warned.
“It is important to avoid cigarette butts, releasing balloons, certain parties, picnics, bonfires, anything that could start fires,” he advised.
Authorities recommend that if you see a fire or intense smoke, you leave the area immediately, take shelter and inform the Fire Department (193) and Civil Defense (199).
MetSul, which used data from the European Copernicus satellite, reported that the risk of fire this Saturday is “particularly high” also in Goiás and in the Triângulo Mineiro region.
Fires inside
As shown by the Stateforest fires that hit the interior of São Paulo caused deaths, the total and partial suspension of highways that cross the state and caused the São Paulo government to declare, on Friday, 23, a state of emergency for 30 municipalities, such as Itápolis, Sertãozinho, São Bernardo do Campo and Piracicaba.
According to the Burnings Program, a monitoring base of the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), the state recorded, this Friday alone, 1,886 active fire outbreaks throughout the state of São Paulo – there are already 3,175 in the month. For comparison purposes, in August 2023, the satellites used by INPE detected 352 active fire outbreaks among all cities in São Paulo during the entire month and 1,666 throughout the entire year.
Two men, employees of a plant in Urupês, metropolitan region of São José do Rio Preto, died while fighting the flames, the government reported.
According to the São Paulo Public Security Department, the victims were trying to put out a fire at a power plant near the city’s ecological park when they lost control of the truck they were driving on the Urupês-Irapuã Municipal Road. The accident caused a fuel leak that set the vehicle on fire. The two employees were 30 and 47 years old, and were from the cities of Irapuã and José Bonifácio, respectively.
Due to the fires, Fundação Casa temporarily transferred teenagers and employees from the Sertãozinho unit, which was engulfed in smoke, to the building where the old Ouro Verde unit used to operate, in Ribeirão Preto. According to the government, there were no injuries among the young people.
Cities with active fire outbreaks on Saturday afternoon, 24th
1 – Aluminum
2 – Banana plantation
3 – Drinking fountain
4 – Good Hope of the South
5 – Colonel Macedo
6 – Golden
7 – Yacanga
8 – Ibitinga
9 – Lucélia
10 – Monte Alegre do Sul
11 – New Granada
12 – Poloni
13 – Pompeii
14 – President Epitácio
15 – Brine
16 – Saint Anthony of Joy
17 – Tabatinga
Cities on high alert for fires this Saturday
1 – Aluminum
2 – Banana plantation
3 – Drinking fountain
4 – Bernardino de Campos
5 – Good Hope of the South
6 – Colonel Macedo
7 – Golden
8 – Yacanga
9 – Ibitinga
10 – Itápolis
11 – Itirapina
12 – Jau
13 – Lucélia
14 – Monte Alegre do Sul
15 – Blue Mountain Paulista
16 – New Granada
17 – Piracicaba
18 – Pirapora of Bom Jesus
19 – Pitangueiras
20 – Poloni
21 – Pompeii
22 – Pontal
23 – President Epitácio
24 – Sabino
25 – Brine
26 – Saint Anthony of Joy
27 – Saint Anthony of Aracanguá
28 – St. Bernard of the Field
29 – St. Louis of Paraitinga
30 – Saint Simon
31 – Little Backlands
32 – Tabatinga
33 – Taquarituba
34 – Little Tower
35 – Ubarana
36 – Urupês
(Collaborated by Caio Possati)
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