Brazil’s massive Pantanal wetlands haven't technically entered annual fire season, but already the number of blazes has broken records and is leading experts to predict this year will be the most devastating in decades.
Typically the world’s largest tropical wetlands dry out and are prone to fires from July to September. But the National Space Research Institute’s satellites spotted over 2,500 fires in the region in June alone -- by far the most ever recorded for the month in data going back to 1998. It’s more than six times the amount in the same month of 2020, known as the “the year of flames,” when wildfires ravaged the area and sparked widespread outcry.
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