Data from the MapBiomas Fire Monitor shows an increase of 248% compared to the same month last year; despite the rainy season, the Amazon was the biome that burned the most

More than 1 million hectares were consumed by fire in Brazil during the month of January, according to the latest data from the Fire MonitorMapBiomas' platform that monitors the territorial extension affected by fires. In comparative terms, it's as if half the state of Sergipe had been burnt in one month.

While January 2023 saw a decrease in fires compared to 2022, the first month of 2024 saw an increase of 248% compared to the same month last year. There were 287,000 hectares burned in January 2023 compared to 1.03 million hectares last month. Of this total, 941 hectares (91%) were in the Amazon, which was the biome most affected by fire in the period, mainly as a result of the fires affecting the far north of the region during this period. This was an increase of 266% on the previous month. The second most affected biome was the Pantanal, with 40,626 hectares. 

>> Acesse os principais destaques do Monitor do Fogo de janeiro

The three states with the largest areas burned in January are in the Amazon: Roraima, with 413,170 hectares affected by fire - an increase of 250% compared to the same period in 2023; Pará, with 314,601 hectares burned; and Amazonas, with 95,356 hectares. Roraima accounted for 40% of the total burned in the country in January; Pará accounted for 30%. 

Grasslands, pastures and forests were the types of vegetation most consumed by fire throughout the country. While in Roraima 95% of the burned area was in grassland, in Pará 41% was in forest and 49% in pasture.

Due to its location close to the Equator, Roraima has unique climatic and geographical characteristics, which mean that the burning season occurs at the beginning of the year, rather than in the middle to end of the year, as in other regions of the Amazon. The dry season generally lasts from December to April, while the rainy season lasts from May to November. 

"It's normal for the Amazon to lead the way in terms of area burnt at the beginning of the year, because Roraima's dry season takes place during this period. However, this year there was the aggravating factor of the extreme drought, which delayed and reduced the amount of rainfall, leaving the region even more flammable," explains the coordinator of MapBiomas Fogo and IPAM's Science Director, Ane Alencar.