By Bruno Kelly
AUTAZES, Brazil, Oct 13 (Reuters) - El Niño, climate change and human activity are fueling a surge in fires deep in Brazil's Amazon this month, as firefighters race to contain blazes whose smoke is choking residents and causing events to be cancelled in nearby towns.
There were 1,679 fires in Brazil's Amazonas state in the first two weeks of October, a 253% surge compared to the same period last year, according to data from the country's Amazon surveillance system.
The fires, which officials suspect were set on purpose, have sent plumes of smoke across the sky and provoked states of emergency in at least 36 municipalities across Amazonas, causing respiratory problems for residents.
"Our situation here is critical," said Luiz Rios, a retired farmer in the state's Autazes municipality who has struggled to breathe at night, causing his face to swell.
Poor air quality from the fires has canceled outdoor events in Manaus, the state's capital and home to over 2 million residents, where public schools closed on Wednesday.
August and September are usually the height of the dry season in the Amazon, when fires become harder to control before the rainy season's onset usually brings relief in October.
This year, however, rains have been slow to bring relief. Scientists and officials point to the El Niño phenomenon, which is predicted to be the strongest on record, and climate change as drivers of the surge in fires.
“Water stress and heat stress are hitting with extreme intensity, creating a potentially dangerous situation that, compounded by human activity, threatens this biodiversity, people’s health, and the productivity of these lands," said Carlos Durigan, a geographer and researcher at the Amazon Environmental Research Institute.
Brazil's federal government and civil defense sent aircraft and brigade crews to Amazonas over the weekend to combat the flames.
Brazil’s environment minister, João Paulo Capobianco, flew over the state on Sunday and spotted fires inside protected forest, which his ministry says points to deliberate arson meant to clear the way for deforestation.
The ministry has promised an investigation.
In the Amazon, fires are rarely natural and are typically set to clear land for farming or ranching.
(Reporting by Bruno Kelly; Additional reporting by Brendan O'Boyle; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Oliver Griffin and Xevi Fontdegloria)
