08/24/2024 – 18:18
The city government of Ribeirão Preto (SP) has suspended outdoor activities in the city due to the fires that are affecting the interior of São Paulo. The decision was made by decree and published in Official Gazette in the city this Saturday, 24th. The measure, which is valid until Sunday, 25th, led to the postponement of the game between Botafogo-SP and Guarani, for the Série B of the Brazilian Championship.
The statement informs that the decision considered the fires affecting the city and the region, the low relative humidity, the relative humidity levels and the winds of more than 70 km/h that can influence the spread of the flames and smoke.
“The carrying out of outdoor activities, regardless of their cultural, artistic or sporting nature, is suspended on the dates of August 24 and 25, 2024. Paragraph 1 The suspension includes activities previously authorized by the Public Authority, in addition to including the suspension of sporting activities, especially professional football championships and marathons”, states an excerpt from the decree, signed by the city’s mayor Duarte Nogueira.
The statement also recommends that the population intensify their care with hydration and sun protection, avoiding exposure to outdoor environments.
The Botafogo team from Ribeirão Preto announced the postponement of the match against Guarani, scheduled for this Saturday, at the Santa Cruz Stadium, at 4 pm. In the note, the team informed that those who purchased tickets for the game will be able to receive a refund, and that the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) has not yet defined a new date for the match.
Fire affects the State
Forest fires, which are spreading due to the lack of rain and the heat wave that is affecting São Paulo, have been punishing the interior of São Paulo for days. The situation worsened last Friday, the 23rd, when the state recorded 1,886 fire outbreaks in a single day. Two employees of a plant in Urupês, in the metropolitan region of São José do Rio Preto, died while fighting the flames.
The fire also causes partial and total closure of state highways, such as Luiz Augusto de Oliveira Highway (SP-215); Carlos Tonani Highway (SP-333) and Armando Salles de Oliveira Highway (SP-332) – the closed sections can be seen at the end of the text.
The most critical situation is in the region of Ribeirão Preto and neighboring cities, over which Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans) flew this morning. On Friday, the president set up a crisis cabinet to deal with the fires.
In total, 17 cities in the interior of the state have active fire outbreaks, and 36 are on maximum fire alert, according to the latest report from the São Paulo government. The list of municipalities is based on monitoring by the Civil Defense Emergency Management Center (CGE).
Fighting the flames has involved the Military Police, Fire Department and Brazilian Air Force, which receive support from teams from the Forestry Foundation, the sugarcane sector and construction companies hired by the Department of Highways (DER) – more than 7,300 people, including professionals and volunteers, are mobilized, according to the government.
“We have set up a task force in cooperation with the federal government. We are hiring aircraft to spray water, which will be added to our Fire Department aircraft teams and the reinforcement of the Armed Forces. So, the State is making a huge effort to help us control the fires,” said Tarcísio.
The governor said that the population also needs to collaborate to prevent new fires from starting. “It is important to avoid cigarette butts, releasing balloons and anything that could start fires,” he warned.
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