09/15/2024 – 13:31
A joint effort is being made to contain the fires that are raging in the Serra dos Órgãos National Park (Parnaso), in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro. According to the conservation unit, which covers areas in the municipalities of Guapimirim, Magé, Petrópolis and Teresópolis, the flames are spreading to hard-to-reach areas.
A report released this Saturday (14) by the administration, through its social networks, clarifies that the operation mobilizes the Fire Department and firefighters from the park itself, from the Brazilian Institute of the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama) and also from the Tijuca National Park. Images recorded by drones were also shared, showing the extent of the outbreaks and the intensity of the smoke.
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According to the conservation unit, due to the difficulty of access, a specialized team had to climb the mountain to reconnoiter the situation. “The initial plan was to drop firefighters by helicopter into places where combat on foot was feasible. However, these conditions were not met, making transportation impossible. A researcher who was in the area was safely rescued, received hydration, and was transported to the base without complications,” the report adds.
The Serra dos Órgãos National Park has the largest network of trails in Brazil. It is also one of the most popular places for mountain sports, such as climbing, hiking and rappelling. The Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICBMBio), which manages the park, has had to mobilize its firefighters on several occasions since last month.
The current fire is affecting the Morro do Cobiçado and Ventania areas. The fire started on Tuesday night (10) and spread more intensely on Friday (13). The dry climate, the region’s terrain and strong winds facilitate the spread of the fire. Access to the affected region is restricted and the unit warns that trails should not be used. “These regions become very dangerous in the presence of fire and need to be isolated so that the fire can be fought safely and effectively.”
Fires in Rio
According to data contained in a note released by the Rio de Janeiro Fire Department (CBMERJ) this Sunday (15), more than a thousand forest fires in the state have been extinguished since the creation of the crisis cabinet last Thursday (12). “The corporation acts, by air and land, to combat occurrences of fires in vegetation. CBMERJ uses drones with thermal cameras to monitor the affected areas, in addition to aircraft with the capacity to transport up to 1,200 liters of water for direct attack on outbreaks in hard-to-reach places”, says the text.
Satellite monitoring data from the National Institute for Space Research (INPE) confirms concerns in the state. Images captured from the atmosphere allow the largest fire outbreaks to be mapped. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 960 records. This is the highest number of occurrences in a single year since 2014, when there were 1,283 records. In September alone, 255 fire outbreaks have been detected in the state. This is the highest number recorded for the month since 2011, when there were 504 occurrences.
Excessive fires in Brazil have resulted in a drop in air quality in several regions, generating health concerns of the population. In recent weeks, images showing landscapes have gone viral on social media covered by smoke in some capitals, such as Brasília, São Paulo and Belo Horizonte. This also occurred in municipalities in the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro, such as Petrópolis and Teresópolis.
Experts have pointed out that ecosystems become more vulnerable to fires in times of drought, such as the one the country is facing. This scenario may be influenced by different factors, such as global warming driven by human action and the effects of the El Niño climate phenomenon, followed by La Niña.
Although the dry climate makes forested areas more susceptible to fires, the origin of these fires is most often related to human behavior. According to the Rio de Janeiro Fire Department, in 95% of cases, the flames are started by human action, whether accidentally or intentionally. Investigations are already underway in several parts of the country that are looking into evidence of arson. Prisons have already been carried out in recent days, for example, in the states of São Paulo and Goiás.
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