Record-breaking Amazon forest fires have ravaged indigenous communities in Brazil

“If these fires continue, we natives will die.”

Raimundinha Rodrigues Da Sousa runs a volunteer fire service for the indigenous community of Caititu in the Brazilian Amazon.

Their land must be protected under the Brazilian constitution.

But it has been burning for more than 15 days.

For his brigade, their fight feels personal.

“Today it is killing the plants, in the future it will be us, because we are inhaling the air a lot,” he said.

“It is a very powerful fire that kills everything that comes.”

His father, Ademar, tells us that smoking regularly has caused him breathing problems.

“I can’t sleep because of lack of air. It wakes me up, I feel like I’m drowning,” he said.

The Amazon has had its worst forest fires in two decades. More than 62,000 square kilometers have been burned this year – an area larger than countries like Sri Lanka or Costa Rica.

The world relies on the Amazon to absorb much of its carbon. These fires mean they are now producing record prices themselves.

Many of the fires here are started by illegal people, according to scientists, the Federal Police, and the government: loggers and miners who want to exploit the land in the Amazon, or farmers making pastures.

It is rare for fires to occur naturally in a humid, tropical forest.

Many fires enter protected areas or native land, either accidentally out of control, or set by humans as deliberate attempts to seize land.

Raimundinha says that when his army arrives at the scene of a fire, they often find bottles of gasoline and matches.

As he spoke, he saw another smoke from the trees. He is sure it was started on purpose, as they had just put out the fires there and created a natural barrier to stop the spread, by removing any dry vegetation from the area.

His team goes to investigate. As we get closer, there is a distinct smell of smoke.

The area on the way to the fire is like a graveyard of trees, which have collapsed completely black.

The rainforest here does not really live up to its name. The trees that are still standing are charred and twisted like burnt matchsticks. The ground is covered with a white powder like the remains of a barbecue.

His team is trying to put out the flames with hoses they use to spray water, which are attached to small plastic containers they wear as backpacks. Water is limited, so they have to be selective.

The problem is, as soon as one is removed, another starts.

The indigenous chief, Ze Bajaga, says that most of these fires are the burning of people who “no longer want the well-being of mankind, or the environment”.

He blames the lack of “personality”.

In recent years, deforestation has decreased in the Amazon. But despite trying to dismantle the country’s authorities, lawlessness still prevails, and the presence of the state is felt thin.

Some Amazons are privately owned by individuals or companies. Private owners are required to save 80% of the rainforest on their land by law, and can develop the remaining 20%. But this is not well managed.

Some of the land is considered a protected area under the control of the government, or an indigenous land. The rest of the world though is not completely designated – meaning it is not private, and has never been protected as a reserve.

Those areas are very vulnerable to land grabbing. Everywhere you drive or fly in the southern Amazonas region, mines, loggers and farms can be seen.

Dorismar Luiz Baruffi, a soybean farmer based in the Amazonas city of Humaitá, has owned his land for many years. He is against fires, but he can explain why farming has “exploded” in the Amazon.

At the heart of his, and others, argument is the belief that more land should be productive, not just protected.

“The growth of the population has increased planting up here. I started here because the region is beautiful, it rains well here,” he explained.

“I believe that if you work according to the law, there is no problem. It is a place that provides food. It’s a very productive situation. I think there is still a lot of land to be cultivated here in the Amazonas.”

Deforestation is also bad for farmers. The fewer trees there are, the less water vapor is released to create rain for their crops – some farmers burn their land to make room.

“We didn’t do well this year because of the drought,” he said.

Fires may have been mostly started by humans, but they were made worse The worst drought in Brazilwhich has turned the normally damp vegetation into a dry box.

The drought has caused river levels to drop to historic levels, too about 60% of the country is under drought stress.

The rivers, in part, are now completely dry and resemble a scorched desert.

João Mendonça and his community live near the river. But the dry river means they can no longer travel on water, which means they are cut off from nearby towns and cities.

Every day, at dawn, they now have to walk to the nearest town to fill the water tanks.

Here, dolphins can be seen coming out of the river and blue macaws fly overhead.

But João and the rest of his people must then carry it on their backs to their community, burning their feet on the dry, cracked river and occasionally passing dead river life like turtles.

They take this trip several times a day in the scorching heat.

“It’s the worst drought I’ve ever seen in my life,” said João. “It brought many results… the lack of food on the table of the river dwellers. The fish are gone.”

“One difficulty is entering the city, now the river is dry. There are elderly people with chronic diseases who have to take this trip.”

Sandra Gomes Vieira, who has kidney disease, and her family are among those now missing from the city.

“Before, it was easy when I was sick. My husband was putting me on the boat that was going to the city. Now, I have to walk across that sand to get to it. There are days when I can’t do anything, I need people to carry me,” she said.

One of his three daughters had to drop out of school: “She doesn’t study because she couldn’t handle walking on that sand when it’s hot. He felt sick.”

Drought makes it difficult to make a living.

“We live by selling the products we grow. Now my product is going bad. And there is no way to take them to the city.”

The impact of these fires and drought on the lives of people in the Amazonas is clear, but their message to everyone is the same.

“There are people who don’t care about this kind of thing,” said Raimundinha Rodrigues Da Sousa, who fights fires every day.

“They just do it without thinking about the future. But to live in nature, you have to take care of it.”