Fire in Brasilia National Park was criminal, says ICMBio

The forest fire that hit the area of ​​the Brasília National Park, known as Parque da Mineral Waterthis Sunday (15.Sep.2024) was criminal, according to the ICMBio (Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation).

The institute said there is still no confirmation of the specific cause of the fire, but the conclusion of criminal evidence is supported by the validity of the period prohibited from using fire and the impossibility of burning due to natural causes at this time.

In the Cerrado, as in the Amazon, the use of fire is prohibited until November 30, while in the Pantanal the prohibition extends until December 31.

According to ICMBio, the fire this Sunday (September 15) started around 11:20 am. The fire started near Granja do Torto, a region outside the National Park. The estimated area affected is 1,200 hectares.

Twenty ICMBio firefighters were mobilized as an immediate response, 40 military personnel from the Military Fire Department of the Federal District and 5 firefighters from Ibram (Brasilia Environmental Institute).

The action should continue during the night of this Sunday (15.set). There is still no information about affected animals.

Smoke could be seen throughout the day and covered areas of Plano Piloto, including Palácio do Buriti, headquarters of the Federal District Government.

The photojournalist of the Poder360Sérgio Lima, recorded the forest fire. See the photos below.

LULA FLEW OVER THE AREA

The president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and First Lady Janja Lula da Silva flew over the area affected by fire in Brasília National Park this Sunday (15.Sep.2024).

Through his Instagram profile, Lula said that he will meet with the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Marina Silvaand with the “government core” to discuss actions to deal with what he classified as a climate emergency.

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