Star Metro - Wildfire smoke shuts schools in Amazon's biggest city

Brazil is facing weather extremes from one of the strongest El Nino events in decades, which the government has warned will bring more rain and floods to the south, and drought and wildfires in the north.

The state of Amazonas recorded more than 3,700 fire hotspots in September, nearly four times as many as the previous year, according to satellite data from Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE).

On Wednesday alone, more than 749 fires were burning, leading to the poor air quality in Manaus, home to 2.3 million people.

"Both the smoke and the heat really contribute to breathing problems ... it is distressing," public-sector worker Erlan de Santos, 55, told AFP in Manaus on Thursday.

The city government said in a statement that the school closures were "to protect the health, safety and well-being of students and education professionals."

No date has been set for schools to re-open.

Temperatures in Manaus reached 40°C (104°F) on Thursday and authorities urged people to avoid exercising outdoors.

The city already spent several days blanketed in smoke last month.

In 2024, the El Nino phenomenon saw exceptional drought, wildfires and flooding in Brazil.

El Nino is a natural climate variation that warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, bringing worldwide changes in wind and rain patterns.

This year's episode is projected to be the strongest in record, with a peak in December.

The Amazon is the world's largest tropical rainforest and stores vast amounts of carbon, playing a crucial role in the fight against global warming.

D.Cameron--SMC