South American countries registered 511,575 fire outbreaks in 2024, the highest number since 2010. Brazil accounted for 54% of them, according to the country’s space agency, INPE, with fires mainly hitting the Amazon Rainforest, but also the Pantanal wetlands, the Cerrado savanna, and the country’s most populous state, São Paulo. The smoke spread through 10 of Brazil’s 26 states, impacting air quality and air traffic. (Source: Mongabay)