Military aircraft en route to Sao Paulo to fight forest fires – World

SAO PAULO – The Brazilian government announced Sunday that it was sending military aircraft to fight forest fires in the southeastern Brazilian state of Sao Paulo.

“We have asked the Ministry of Defense to mobilize aircraft to fight the areas affected by the fire,” said Waldez Goes, Minister for Integration and Regional Development.

Goes attributed the fires to the “complicated climate emergency situation,” adding that the Air Force would assist Sao Paulo in fighting the fire, including through the use of a KC-390 cargo aircraft.

The governor of Sao Paulo declared a state of emergency in 45 municipalities on Sunday.

The country's richest and most populous state has been hit by a combination of high temperatures and low humidity, but authorities suspect that some of the fires in the sugarcane fields were caused by arson.