The Brazilian Amazon forest saw its highest number of fires in 17 years in 2024, following months of drought, Brazilian authorities announced on Wednesday.

According to Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (INPE), satellite images showed 140,328 fires in 2024, 42 per cent more than in 2023 (98,634 fires) and a record since 2007 (186,463 fires).

In early November, the National Space Research Institute (INPE) noted that deforestation in the region had fallen by more than 30 per cent between the end of August 2023 and the end of August 2024, reaching its lowest level in nine years.