Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has seen a record number of fires this year, according to new data from the country’s space research agency.
The National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) said its satellite data showed an 84% increase on the same period in 2018.
It comes weeks after President Jair Bolsonaro sacked the head of the agency amid rows over its deforestation data.
Smoke from the fires caused a blackout in the city of São Paulo on Monday.
The daytime blackout, which lasted for about an hour, came after strong winds brought in smoke from forest fires burning in the states of Amazonas and Rondonia, more than 2,700km (1,700 miles) away.
The largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming.
It is also home to about three million species of plants and animals, and one million indigenous people.
Conservationists have blamed Mr Bolsonaro, saying he has encouraged loggers and farmers to clear the land, and scientists say the Amazon has suffered losses at an accelerated rate since he took office in January.
Meanwhile, US space agency Nasa said that overall fire activity in the Amazon basin was slightly below average this year.
The agency said that while activity had increased in Amazonas and Rondonia, it had decreased in the states of Mato Grosso and Pará.
