A major fire near the capital. 20 percent of the forest has disappeared from the face of the Earth

On Wednesday evening local time, a fire in the Brasilia National Forest that had raged for two days and destroyed 20 percent of the vegetation area was extinguished. Local authorities said it may have been started by arsonists. In recent days, Brasilia, the country's capital, has been shrouded in smoke.

The Floresta Nacional de Brasilia (National Forest of Brasilia) is a 5,600-hectare protected area that protects springs that provide 70 percent of the city's fresh water. The fire broke out at the height of the dry season, when high temperatures allow flames to spread quickly.

The forest was cut by almost half under the government of far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro in 2022 to make way for urban development, easing environmental controls and allowing deforestation in the Amazon rainforest to skyrocket.

As Reuters news agency notes, rainfall in the region was late and lighter than usual last year due to the El Nino phenomenon. That, along with the impact of climate change, has made the forests particularly susceptible to fires this year.